TRADERS and shoppers face more disruption as another section of the newly-created market place project in Ripon city centre is dug up.

Contractors have ripped up traffic lights, paving stones and footpath sets to widen the road on the market corner, between the town hall and Market Place West.

"This is just another cock-up in the regeneration of the market place," said Bill Robson, a Ripon resident.

"The majority of the other footpaths have already had to be dug up and re-laid and the full taxi rank re-done.

"Workmen have been removing the traffic lights and stonework, and kerbs are thrown all over the place.

"They are now moving the boundary of the market square back.

"Surely you can't just steal a corner of the market like this," he said.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire County Council's environmental department said the work had proved necessary because the road was too narrow at this point for large lorries.

"Several have been seen to clip the corner kerbs, so it was thought better to widen the area now, otherwise the kerbstones would become loose at a later date."

The work would not impinge too much on the market square, he said