WICKFORD town centre will get a £320,000 revamp.

Workers will replace old pavement at the north end of High Street and The Broadway as part of plans to improve the walkways in the area.

The project, jointly paid for by Basildon Council and Essex County Council, will see tarmac paths replaced with red brick paving. It will be laid from the railway underpass to the junction of The Broadway and Swan Lane.

About £40,000 of the cash will be spent on street furniture, including new railings at crossings.

Businesses welcomed the move, saying improvements were long overdue, as similar red-brick paving had been laid further down the High Street several years ago.

Russell Carpenter runs Trophyland and Emblem in The Broadway, while his wife, Michele, runs beauty salon the Magical Touch, upstairs.

He said: “It’s great news and about time. They have got to do something to get people down this end of the High Street.

“You have only got to look outside to see the disarray we’re in at this end of the road.

“A lot of people don’t go any further than the railway bridge, but they should because there are a few shops up this end worth visiting.

“At the moment, the only shops that survive are specialist shops.”

Cec Norton, who owns carpet and flooring firm Maplefords with his wife Sue, also in The Broadway, said he would approve of anything which made the street more appealing.

He added: “It can only be a good thing if it improves the look of this end of the town.

“We do need something to make this end more appealing to our clients. We have got a lot of very loyal clients, but it would be nice if they did have some decent pavements to walk on.”

The works are due to start in spring.