ANDOVER’S street markets on Thursdays and Saturdays and the farmers’ markets on occasional Sundays are the true assets to our town.

Not every stall will appeal to every resident or visitor, but they add to the character of our high street. Any stall that does not attract its fair share of customers will not afford the rent for very long.

I invite critics to loiter a while and observe the diversity of people doing their weekly shopping – well-todo- village types, bargainhunting families or those aiming to stretch pensions.

Others seek something they can’t find in the surrounding shops – the time to chat. The friendly banter between stallholders and their customers is more entertaining than a lot of what is on today’s television.

I shop regularly for bread, cheese, fruit, veg and less frequently from the other stalls.

I have never bought a burger or chips, or other hot food for that matter, from the market but I don’t find the smell unpleasant as some readers have reported. On the contrary, the smell of grilling meat makes me more hungry for my lunch.

I myself probably buy more produce from the market and Andover’s other shops as a result. And when visiting the high street early on a Sunday morning, as I often do, I can rarely find it anything other than spotless, which is a tribute to the market’s stallholders and the council’s staff who work hard to keep it that way.

Let’s celebrate and cherish our market, not run it or its various stallholders down.

Let’s shop for what we want and accept that our fellow citizens may have different tastes.

Graham Capper, The Avenue, Andover, via e-mail