Traders and politicians have called for support to rebuild Glasgow’s fruit market following a blaze which tore through the historic site.

Those who ran their businesses from the Blochairn Fruit Market have said the site is a vital part of Scotland, and Glasgow’s, economy and it must be re-established.

City Properties, which operates the site, have put emergency measures in place and said part of it had been due to reopen last night.

However, traders are still concerned about their future.

The full extent of the damage is still yet to be determined, however many traders near the source of the blaze are certain their livelihoods have been destroyed forever.  More than 400 jobs are supported at the site, which has been running since 1969.  SNP MSPs Bob Boris and Allan Casey, Labour MP Paul Sweeney and business owners have all called for support from Glasgow City Council for the essential trading.  Jim McGuire, who runs J McGrain Ltd, has been based at the fruit market site for a decade and ran his business from the fish market before that for 40 years.

He said: “There is only one fruit market in the whole of Scotland like this. It’s the council and the Government’s responsibility to put the funds in and help get it back up running again.  “If they don’t then it will just vanish. That’s the way it’ll be.

“It’s up to the Scottish Government and the council to get it built back up again.”  SNP MSPs Bob Doris and Allan Casey yesterday wrote to Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken to appeal for help to save the site and its jobs.

The letter stated: “We would request that the council urgently assesses how it may be able to assist this important and significant economic asset, based in our constituency, to return it to trading as soon as possible. In doing so this will help protect the many hundreds of jobs reliant on Blochairn Market.  “We very much hope its home will return to Blochairn, given the market’s economic importance to an area with significant deprivation challenges.”  Labour MP Paul Sweeney said that Blochairn was “an area of Glasgow that can ill afford this kind of economic blow”.

He said: “The Blochairn Fruit Market is a key part of our economy, turning over £250m worth of produce a year.

“I will be working closely with Glasgow City Council and City Property to ensure we protect the employees and traders and try to find temporary accommodation nearby for the businesses which have lost their premises. It is also important that we begin the regeneration of this market site at Blochairn just as soon as the fire has been extinguished – it is an area of Glasgow that can ill afford this kind of economic blow.”

 A City Properties spokesman said emergency services confirmed that they have partially reopened the market.  It added: “The affected areas are currently being cordoned off and the fire service is still dampening down parts of the site.   “Temporary sites have been identified to allow those tenants directly affected to continue trading as close to business as normal as possible. We will continue to explore a short-term arrangement at a nearby site to provide additional space and hope to have confirmation of this tomorrow.”  City council leader Susan Aitken said: “City Property and the council are already working on a recovery plan to support tenants and establish alternative arrangements that ensure traders can return to business as soon as possible.”