Traders say they fear losing their livelihoods following a decision to award a £1.8 million lottery grant to revamp Gravesend Borough Market.

The market is set to close in June before the refurbishment starts in the summer after a successful application to the Coastal Communities Fund.

When the announcement was made in January, traders celebrated the investment but that joy has turned to anger after learning they have to reapply for space in the new market.

Gravesham council said it was in talks with St George’s shopping centre about relocating stalls there until the market reopens next summer.

But bosses have admitted they “cannot guarantee positions” at this stage, with a range of businesses likely to express an interest in trading there.

Stallholders told the Messenger they are in the dark about their immediate futures while the long-term picture is increasingly unclear.

Nearly 20 traders have signed a petition demanding answers about the relocation, saying they will oppose the move unless they receive assurances.

Janet Aspinall, 60, has run a pet food stall for 30 years but says her trading days may come to a premature end because her business will not work in a shopping centre.

She says customers will not buy huge packets of bird food if they are forced to park far away, while the space provided at the new market will not be enough for her stock.

Janet said: “I’m devastated. I’m 60 and I’m about to be out of the work for the first time.

“This stall is my only income. Without that I cannot make a living. Who else is going to employ me?"

"Gravesham council leader John Burden stood there and said this was all for us and I asked him if us old timers were going to lose our licences and he said no.

“They’re trying to go upmarket, they don’t want the old-fashioned stalls anymore.”

But council leader John Burden said he was trying to work with traders instead of against them.

He said: "There will come a point when we have certainties but until then it is too early to tell.

"When we are deciding what businesses to work with, we will look at the quality of products and the nature of what they are selling.

On another stall, Najinder Atwal, 47, sells fabrics and other materials and is equally fearful about her future.

She said: “They are not telling us anything, where we are going and when we are coming back; they are going to give me a heart attack.

“I don’t know how much space I’m going to get and I’ve been told I need to get rid of some of my stock but this stuff does sell.

“I have small children and this is my livelihood.”

While some face uncertainty, Anna Parker, 43, knows she has to find work elsewhere after she was told she was unable to set up at the shopping centre.

The council’s service manager Simon Hookway warned no provision was available to those traders in rent arrears of four weeks or more.

At the time, Anna owed about £350 which has prevented her from keeping the stall open.

She said: “I offered to pay the money back but they refused it, I didn’t even get a chance.

“I’m in limbo at the moment. When I found out, I couldn’t stop crying my eyes out.

“It is more than just a business for me. I’ve suffered from mental health and depression and this place kept me going."