A KENDAL grandmother had her market stall closed over concerns about the cannabis oil products she was selling.

After four days' trading at Kendal Indoor Market, Susan Ruddy said she arrived for work to find a sheet over her table saying the stall was for rent.

Mrs Ruddy said she felt "aggrieved" because the food supplement drops and tabs she was selling were "perfectly legal", but having the stall shut down gave the impression they were "something a bit dodgy".

She told the Gazette she had set up the business venture with friend Caz Boardley, investing nearly £2,000 in stock and getting approval for the stall from a South Lakeland District Council market inspector.

She said on the second day of trading a different inspector expressed a doubt about whether the products should be on sale. On the fifth morning she arrived to set up at Kendal Indoor Market, she found that the posters left flat on her table the night before had been removed. When she asked the market inspector what was happening, she was told she could not sell her products there until they had been cleared by his boss.

Mrs Ruddy met with SLDC this week, where she said she expressed concerns about the damage done to her business's reputation.

"What worries me more than anything is the fact we were allowed to trade for those four days and then closed down," she said. "It's sending a message to the community we were selling something dodgy. That's what's really upset me - I'm a grandmother."

An SLDC spokesman told the Gazette: "We have asked a market stallholder in Kendal to stop selling a CBD oil product while we are making inquiries of Cumbria County Council Trading Standards."

Meanwhile, a CCC spokesman said: "SLDC's Market Inspector is responsible for market trading, and has taken this decision. Following this, SLDC have now contacted Trading Standards to seek their advice and guidance. We are now looking in to the matter on their behalf and are liaising with the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)."

Mrs Ruddy, a Kendal resident for 30 years, said she had the idea of selling cannabis oil after hearing how a friend and a family member had used it to gain relief from the discomfort of bowel disease and Ménière's disease, which causes vertigo and tinnitus.

CBD, or cannabidiol, is an active substance found in hemp oil, extracted from the cannabis plant, and is non-psychoactive, so does not give a "high".

The products can be sold as long as claims are not made about their medical benefits.

Mrs Ruddy explained she was selling the CBD products purely as food supplements, but she wanted them to be readily available to people who personally found them helpful with various ailments.

Health food shop Holland & Barrett started selling CBD products in its high street shops earlier this year, as a food supplement.

Mrs Ruddy said she was very unhappy about the closure of her stall pending a decision, and she had done comprehensive research before setting up her venture. She added: "This product is on every high street now. Why is South Lakeland so behind?"