THE material used to replace paving in a Hereford city centre street is only temporary, the council said.

Asphalt has been used to replace block paving in Commercial Street but Herefordshire Council said this has been agreed with Western Power Distribution (WPD), which is carrying out the work.

A council spokesman said: "WPD is undertaking works to upgrade the electricity cabling to businesses in Commercial Street; the works are due for completion before Christmas.

"WPD, Herefordshire Council and Balfour Beatty Living Places (BBLP) have worked together to schedule the upgrade ahead of the second phase of High Town refurbishment works which will commence in Commercial Street in January 2018 and are part of the Hereford City Centre Improvement scheme.

"The upgrade has been completed by WPD to ‘future-proof’ the electricity cabling to minimise the risk of future repair works needing to be undertaken after the refurbishment of the area has been completed.

"The materials used to reinstate the surface are therefore temporary and Balfour Beatty Living Places will inspect the current reinstatement to ensure it’s of an appropriate standard."