Barking Market will be extended to the station parade for the month of December, the council has announced.

Barking and Dagenham Council said the trial is part of efforts to "change the perceptions of safety and ease antisocial behaviour at Barking Station".

Councillor Margaret Mullane, cabinet member for enforcement and community safety, said: “The safety of our residents is a number one priority for us, and we will continue to think of new ways to reduce antisocial behaviour and change people’s perception of safety in Barking and Dagenham."

Earlier this year, the station was highlighted as a risk area in a survey - conducted following the tragic death of Sarah Everard - which asked women to highlight areas where they didn’t feel safe.

The council said the market extension, which launched on December 2, also follows a police Environmental Visual Assessment which concluded that stalls outside the station would make the surrounding area feel safer for residents and commuters.

The market will be running from 9am-7pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays - plus on Wednesday, December 22, as part of the Christmas shopping week of trading.