Cost of March for England is revealed

The March for England in April could have cost traders in the city millions of pounds in lost business.

The March for England in April could have cost traders in the city millions of pounds in lost business

A questionnaire from the city- centre's Business Improvement District asked businesses if they had closed during the event and what the financial impact was.

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The total loss to those that responded was calculated to be between £109,300 and £162,500.

Tony Mernagh, chief executive at the Brighton and Hove Economic partnership, said: "Extrapolate those numbers out to the thousands of businesses within the city centre and the real loss could well be in the millions."

Gavin Stewart, manager of the Business Improvement District, said: "The findings are yet to be discussed by the Tourism Advisory Board. However, it is hoped that local agencies will listen to the call from the business community to address the issues caused by the march and seek to find solutions to what has become a blot on the annual calendar of events for the city."

An estimated 140 people took part in the nationalist march on April 27; about 400 anti-fascists opposed the march, which is thought to have cost up to £500,000 to police.

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Four more men have been arrested for brawling in the street after the march. The arrests were made in the last week after Sussex Police published CCTV images of 11 people suspected of taking part in the violence.