December 30, 2011

Billingsgate Market, UK's largest inland fish market, sold an average of 25,000 tonnes of fish and fish products through its merchants annually.

The market in Trafalgar way, Poplar, is served by almost every port in the UK, from Aberdeen to Penzance.

Most of the fish is transported by road directly from the coast and arrives at the market in the early hours of the morning.

Imported frozen fish is usually shipped in large refrigerated containers and imported chilled fish is often air-freighted, sometimes from countries thousands of miles away.

The market complex covers an area of 13 acres.

The ground floor of the building comprises a large trading hall with 98 stands and 30 shops, a shellfish boiling room, a number of individual cold rooms, an 800-tonne freezer store (maintained at a temperature of -26°C), an ice making plant and 14 lock-up shops used by processors, catering suppliers and merchants.

Each trading day at Billingsgate offers buyers an opportunity to see the largest selection of fish in the UK.

Daily arrivals from the coast and overseas ensure a continuity of fresh supplies and with some 54 merchants trading in close proximity in the Market Hall, competition is keen.