Traders plan to make city- centre market history - by opening a bistro in the revamped John Street premises.

The upmarket scheme in the refurbished premises has a liquor licence and will provide a mixed menu.

But John and Anthony Ackroyd will keep a traditional caf with all-day breakfast and budget lunches when they open the new unit.

The city-centre market is in the throes of a £3.5 million refurbishment while traders carry on with business as usual.

The existing popular Meeting Place Caf, owned by the Ackroyds, is being demolished and will be replaced by a large unit on the Northgate end of the building.

It will provide the two new eating places in separate parts.

But their plans have hit a hiccup because rising damp has been found in the market walls where the new unit is being built.

John, chairman of John Street Market Traders Association, said they anticipated it would be the end of August before they opened.

He said: "We will be the first people in the market to do a venture like this, but we want to cater for all aspects of the eating market."

He said they believed business people would probably use the new Continental-style Northgate bistro, while shoppers were likely to go to the new Meeting Place Caf.

John, who has traded at John Street for seven years, said: "We think the market should look at the broader picture, as it is having a very big refurbishment.

"The work has been a lot more disruptive than we imagined, but the customers are still coming in.

"We have been told by the Council that the work is running to schedule and will be completed before Christmas."

Traders from the temporary Rawson Market and James Street Fish Market will also move into the state-of-the-art building.

It will end the city centre's markets fiasco, which saw the main Rawson Market almost demolished ready for a £6 million redevelopment.