Work has begun inside Swindon’s Tented Market after nearly seven years of closure.

Workmen have this week been spotted inside the building, with local businessmen reporting they first started three days ago.

Swindon Advertiser: Ongoing works at the Tented Market, or Market Hall

There were two workmen at the site when the Adver visited.

One of the workers said: “We’re just ripping it out for now.

"It is just staying as it is; it is just getting ripped out for now.”

Swindon Advertiser: Ongoing works at the Tented Market, or Market Hall

Pictures show workers pulling down the market’s internal structures which made up the separate stalls for the shops.

Rubble and fabric lie on the floor while cables hang from the ceiling. Another eyewitness said he had seen furniture being moved out of the market.

Swindon Advertiser: Ongoing works at the Tented Market, or Market Hall

The tented market is owned by development companies CJV Properties, a subsidiary of Panther Securities Plc.

The company had planning permission for a 10-storey mixed residential and commercial block, which has now expired.

Swindon Advertiser: Ongoing works at the Tented Market, or Market Hall

Panther Securities and Swindon Borough Council have been contacted for more information. The workers could not tell the Adver who to contact for more information.

Local businesses recently expressed annoyance that work is yet to start on the market since it closed in August 2017.

It has since become a hotspot for graffiti and pigeons, which they say make the area unattractive and put customers off.