Buyers make their way to and from The May Pen Market on Monday afternoon. - Sheldon Williams

Greg Smith prepares meat on his jerk grill for sale on Brooks Avenue in May Pen. Smith sells jerked chicken neck, chicken back, chicken gizzard and chicken.

Food vendors in May Pen, Clarendon, say they are in need of a proper selling space, as the town market is in a deplorable condition.

When THE STAR journeyed to the vibrant town on Monday, most vendors shied away from our cameras, but they didn't hesitate to voice their concerns.

It is a major risk to sell on the streets; however, several vendors who our news team spoke to said that they have no choice as customers are not buying in the market.

"Look, si all me with my little tings dem like my onion and so, nobody wouldn't see me if I were to go in the market. Di police are quick to run us off di road, but dem nuh see dat sometimes not even water wi have in the market," a female vendor said.

Several others said goats, pigs and even dogs have taken over the market.

The vendors said they have voiced their concerns to the relevant authorities, but there has been no improvement.

"The market don't smell good, people raise hog and goat in there. There is no water in the market. Sometimes when you go in the market all clothes you see hang out in there," a food vendor who identified himself only as Peter said. "Di market needs to improve, di relevant authority needs to rectify the market. Mi really and truly cannot manage to sell in there because even filth inna di market high alike a mountain. I want to know how people should work inna a condition like dat."

Another vendor said she has been selling in May Pen for more than 20 years and business in recent times has been slow.

"The system as how I see it is only to pressure people who really a try mek two ends meet. We get pressure from the police, from the market police and di parish council. I don't see anybody to talk to about the issues that we are having in the market," the female vendor told THE STAR. "There is no proper fencing, no security, no customers and no safety. May Pen is not like one time. There is no mayor to talk to because nobody wants to hear about our concerns."

Meanwhile, jerk chicken vendor Greg Smith, 26, said he does not have any security concerns, and he is doing fairly well selling jerked chicken neck, jerked chicken and jerked chicken back.

Smith said that his jerked chicken back is a hot seller among all types of commuters in and around the town.

"Business up and down, but I have been doing this for about eight months now and I can't complain. Definitely, I can say that the jerked chicken back is a hit because all kind of working people support my business. Di schoolchildren dem are some of my biggest supporters," Smith said.