Motorists and pedestrians using Loch Promenade will finally see repairs carried out to damaged and sinking block paving, but the work will bring a series of temporary traffic and crossing changes.

The Department of Infrastructure has confirmed work on the pedestrian crossings near the junctions with Victoria Street and Regent Street will begin on Monday, October 19, and is expected to take two weeks.

The repairs follow concerns over areas of the distinctive block paving sinking and individual bricks becoming damaged.

In the first week, the crossing nearest Victoria Street will be repaired, with the road remaining open under temporary three-way traffic lights.

The temporary controlled crossing near Regent Street will be suspended during the work to avoid conflicting with the traffic lights.

Pedestrians will instead be directed to the zebra crossing at Howard Street, which will reopen once the Victoria Street work is complete.

During the second week, the zebra crossing opposite Villiers Square, currently closed because of nearby building works, will be repaired, followed by the crossing at Regent Street.

Once that work is complete, the temporary controlled crossing at the Regent Street junction will reopen.

The Department said the damaged surfaces will be removed and replaced with asphalt as an interim measure on safety grounds.

It said investigations had found deterioration was concentrated at a number of specific crossings, while the underlying concrete foundation slabs remained in good condition.

The Department's long-term intention is to replace all of the crossings with natural stone granite paving, but said this would need to be carried out in phases because of the scale of the work, available budgets and resources.

The wider Douglas Promenade redevelopment was completed in 2021, after several years of delays and disruption.

The main scheme cost £25 million, with a further £2.2 million added through the capital inflation scheme, taking the total to around £27.7 million.