A CONTROVERSIAL £1 million enhancement scheme in a North Dorset Georgian town is on the verge of completion.

Workmen are finishing off re-paving and surfacing work in the centre of Blandford and a state-of-the-art pedestrian controlled crossing will be installed next week.

Work on the facelift began in February following years of planning and consultation.

But it sparked uproar from disabled groups, shopkeepers and many residents who, despite bringing traffic to a halt on market day, have failed so far to get two other crossings reinstated.

After Christmas, the contractors will return for a short spell to pave the upper part of Salisbury Street and a stretch of West Street.

Pressure for an enhancement scheme began after the completion of the town's bypass in the 1980s.

The town centre was facing a serious decline in the condition of its buildings and streets. But it was not until the late 1990s, helped by £500,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, that anything could be done.

Blighted by bad weather and technical difficulties, the scheme, which also includes repairs to buildings, has run over deadline. The Blandford Market Place Monitoring Group has agreed to carry out surveys with shoppers and motorists.

Project fund manager Nick Worlledge of North Dorset District Council said: "It takes a little time for schemes like this to settle in so surveys will be carried out early in the New Year and again in the autumn next year to find out how shoppers, retailers and drivers are getting on with it."