Traders on Chester Market say the closure of the old Princess Street bus station is draining the lifeblood out of their businesses.

The old stop was right on the market’s doorstep, but it was replaced earlier this month by the new £13m Chester Bus Interchange at Gorse Stacks.

A Shopper Hopper shuttle bus service links the old and new stations together, but traders say it was not publicised enough in advance and not enough people are using it – leaving the aisles of the market emptier than they can remember.

Jill Stanley, of C&J Cards, said the situation is “diabolical” and her business has been losing money in recent weeks.

“Everyone thinks the bus service is fantastic apart from the people who actually use it. In fact, it’s a nightmare,” said Jill.

“People are coming up to me and saying they are not going to do it again because it’s a nightmare getting here because of the traffic (from Gorse Stacks).

“Quite frankly, I don’t think the new bus interchange is successful.”

The 50-year-old market will be replaced by a gleaming new one as part of the £300m Northgate development, the first phase of which is due to begin in the autumn. But the transition could be a painful one and traders already struggling with the bus station closure are unable to look too far into the future.

Stuart Fenney, of Nice Bites, has noticed trade “die off” since the new bus interchange opened.

“My business slowly built until it was borderline a success. But since that bus station has moved, my trade has gone,” he said.

“I’m doing half of what I was doing when the bus station was here. It’s killed me off and I’ve got kids at home, and this is my only income.”

Sandra Taker, of Toolcraft, has been a market trader in Chester for 60 years, working with her parents – the Tranters – in the much-missed former market building next to the Town Hall when she was a child.

Sandra is worried about the market’s chances of surviving another few years until a new one could be built, adding that the situation was as “grim” as she could ever remember.

Nigel Ison, of Franky’s Fancy Dress, said the council was repeatedly warned by traders that moving the bus station would have massive implications for the market: “In all the meetings we’ve had people have said ‘the bus station moving is going to kill us’.

“Then they (CWaC) say ‘we’re really sorry, we didn’t see this coming’.”

Suhail Ahmed, Saira Trading, a family business approaching its 40th anniversary, said: “Ever since that bus station has gone, even though the market has been struggling for some time, it’s gone really bad. It’s like the final nail in the coffin.”

Dianne Warrender, of The Nail Bar, said council chairman Bob Rudd and city MP Chris Matheson had been “champions of the market”, helping as best they could.

But Dianne added: “We’ve been asking for three years what is the holding plan for when this bus station goes, for when Northgate kicks in.

“It’s like the last drop of lifeblood is being drained out of the market.”

The old bus interchange, which closed on June 4, was moved from Princess Street to create space for the Northgate development, which will transform the north west quarter of the city centre with department stores, other shops, a cinema, cafes, bars, restaurants, a new Crowne Plaza hotel and a new market hall.

If the situation is dire at Chester Market, then things are no better in the neighbouring Forum Shopping Centre.

Traders there echo the feelings of the market stallholders, saying they have noticed a big drop-off in footfall in the weeks since the new bus interchange opened.

It has left them worried about how things can be turned around.

Sandra Riley, who has run the Flower Box for the last seven years, says the Shopper Hopper bus linking the new bus station to the old one has not been the success she hoped for. Adverts telling people about the service have gone up too late, she says.

“I’ve noticed the footfall has fallen a lot,” said Sandra. “The council are trying to do everything they can, but why close the barn door after the horse has bolted? They should have thought about this.”

Rebecca Davies-McKay, manager of Shoe Zone, has noticed a dramatic downturn in footfall and, as a result, takings over the counter.

“As soon as that old bus station was closed off, the footfall has dramatically dropped,” Rebecca said. “You can see it in the takings, people are down. Everyone is talking about it. Everyone’s suffering.”

Nick Piercy, of VIP Electric Cigarettes, has built up his business over three years but reports that takings in recent weeks have been down “about 30 or 35 per cent” on last year.

“After all the hard work we’ve done to build for the business, for it to drop off is soul destroying,” said Nick. “You have times when you’re twiddling your thumbs.

“If you stood and watched the people in the Shopper Hopper, I don’t think it’s been highlighted enough. I think more could have been done to promote it.”

Like Nick, Carol Brown of the Grape Tree dried food shop says takings in the last few weeks have dropped by about 30 per cent on the previous year.

“Nobody’s cutting through here any more,” said Carol. “They might have come in and made an impulse buy but it’s all gone.”

Andy Chaloner, director of Paulene & Margaret Ltd card shop, noticed a brief upturn before Fathers’ Day but says times are still hard since the old bus station closed.

“As much as it was to be expected, I did not expect it to be as severe as this,” said Andy. “There’s been a definite downturn. We’ve lost a lot of local trade.”

Forum centre manager Lawrence Allen was unavailable for comment.

The council is exploring a number of ways to help Chester Market’s struggling traders.

A spokesman for Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) said the authority would work with traders to try to mitigate any loss of trade. Cllr Brian Clarke, cabinet member for Economic Development and Infrastructure, said: “We acknowledge the concerns of traders.

“We are working to support traders through this period until the new market opens which will be at the heart of Chester Northgate.

“We have put on a free bus service which takes passengers directly to the market every 15 minutes and we are launching a campaign to promote the unique shopping experience at Chester Market which traders will be at the centre of.

“As we look forward to the new market opening it is essential traders are at the centre of its development and we are meeting regularly to get their input around key decisions.”

CWaC is working working with its markets consultant to produce an ‘enhanced signage strategy’ advising that the market is still open and operational, directing people to the most appropriate route in.

The authority is also looking at options to host events and pop-up markets in the old bus station space, all of which will be discussed and agreed with the traders.

The aim is not to compete with the market but to complement it, with the aim to drive footfall.