A huge hike in pitch fees at a popular festive market has forced one regular trader to quit - despite the event being a huge money maker for her.

Helen Penman, who runs My Cottage Cosmetics, says she can’t afford the increase from £1,200 to just over £2,000 for a stall at the Rochester Christmas Market which runs over three weekends.

She’s also unhappy about the extended trading hours from 7 pm to 9pm because she said nobody would be buying her artisan soaps and lotions at that time of night.

Ms Penman, who sells her homemade skincare cosmetics from her home in Harrietsham, near Maidstone, has criticised organisers Medway Council for not supporting small businesses based in the county.

Mum-of-four Helen has been selling her artisan natural products at the fair in the Castle Gardens for the last three years and says it is where she reaps 25% of her annual income.

She has been told by the authority’s events team that the cost of living crisis and rise in operating costs had prompted them to put up their prices.

Helen, who runs a pop-up shop in Bluewater, has been trying to get the company off the ground since setting up after Covid.

She aims to get her retail unit and support her son Charlie, 21, who is seeking to become a professional tennis player.

But she said the high output for the cheapest stand was not financially viable.

Helen makes an average £4,000 profit for the market run over three weekends, which includes the added draw of the Dickensian Christmas festival.

She said: “It's three weeks of long hours in the freezing cold, but as a small business and sole trader, it was the highlight of the year.

“This year they have increased the hours until 9pm on Friday and Saturday which might suit the funfair and food outlets who can afford the rising costs, but who is buying candles or soap at that time of night?

“My products are popular as Christmas gifts and people have returned year after year.

“I’m at a loss to understand how a Kent artisan business cannot manage to afford its own Christmas market.

“Thank you Medway Council for supporting your local small businesses.” A spokesman for the council said: “The Christmas Market will have longer trading hours following feedback from the public and some traders who would like the market to be open longer."

The Dickensian Christmas weekend will remain a 10am to 6pm event.

He added that for 2024 there will be a level booking system with one fee for the entire site and prices varying on the size of the stall and not the location.

A revised layout should mean that all stalls get equal footfall.

He added: “The new fees reflect these changes, as well as taking into account an additional trading day and longer operating hours. The fee also reflects the rising operating costs of running of the event, including inflation, infrastructure suppliers and materials.”

Last month the council scrapped the summer Dickens Festival in Rochester and the springtime English Festival at Riverside Country Park in Rainham this year as part of a cost-cutting exercise.

It was also announced the Rochester Visitor Centre in the High Street is to close.