The manager of Pitsea market has been forced to launch a poster campaign to quash rumours of its closure.

While shoppers can breathe a sigh of relief, food lovers will be reeling today at the news the nearby Bella Pasta restaurant is to close this month.

A lack of profit has been blamed for the failure of the Italian favourite to survive after opening four years ago.

Stephen Evans, managing director of Bella Pasta, said: "We would like to relocate in the town and are hoping to be able to get a site on the Basildon Festival Leisure Park.

"We like the area and will be back soon."

All 30 staff at the Pitsea restaurant will be offered employment at one of Whitbread's other outlets in the area.

The future of the market, however, is brighter thanks to the announcement Sainsbury's is to move off the site they share, according to market manager Frank Nash.

He has been working hard to come up with a way to expand car parking space around the popular market.This, he claims, is the best possible solution.

He said: "We have been looking at ways to open up the car park, so the supermarket closing is the best thing which could have happened."

Mr Nash was distressed to hear rumours the market would disappear along with the shop and had a number of posters made up.

The only connection the two have is they are based on land owned by London and Cambridge Properties.

Mr Nash said: "We are the winners in this situation. From a commercial point of view, it is the best thing that could have happened to us."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.