PONTYPOOL’S historical indoor market is nearing full occupancy with the addition of eight new stalls since the beginning of the year.

Visitors can now add items such as newspapers and magazines, vintage records, American sweets and candies, jewellery, traditional baby clothes, and computer games and toys, to their shopping baskets.

They can also take advantage of services such as engraving and bike maintenance.

The new additions take the market’s occupancy rate to 42 stalls, with only nine stalls remaining unoccupied.

The deputy leader of Torfaen council, Lewis Jones, said: “It has been a fantastic start to the New Year for Pontypool Indoor Market with eight new stalls in place. Together with our established traders we can now offer a really diverse range of goods and services to shoppers.

“The arcades are now open after a long period of work and there is a real buzz about the place. We hope to be in a position to announce the refurbishment works finally complete in the next few months and I would urge anyone who hasn’t visited the market for a while to come down and see it for themselves.”

The £2.3m refurbishment of the market has been funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the Heads of the Valleys Programme through the Welsh Government, Pontypool Regeneration Partnership, Heritage Lottery Fund and Torfaen County Borough Council.

The project to refurbish the Grade II Listed Building dating from 1893/4 should be completed by mid-summer.

Anyone interested in trading in the market can visit www.torfaen.gov.uk/en/Business/Markets/Marketstalls/Pontypool-Indoor-Market.aspx for more information, or contact the market supervisor on 01495 752822.