A FRESH cash injection of at least £500,000 is being pumped into improving Worcester city centre's streets, it has emerged.

The city council has signalled a new project to radically improve the main shopping area.

From April next year a detailed programme will be put together, focusing mainly on Broad Street and The Shambles.

The repaving and resurfacing work follows a £315,000 overhaul of Worcester's High Street last year between the Elgar Statue and Pump Street.

The city council's Conservative leadership says it feels areas like The Shambles have become poor relations due to the detailed High Street improvements in recent years.

Between 2005 and 2012 £1.3 million was spent on the High Street's surface.

The £500,000 is set to be committed from next year's budget, and talks will be held with Worcestershire County Council in the hope it will agree to add to the kitty to make it significantly larger.

As well as city centre improvements, depending on the size of the pot the city council also wants to consider improving the riverside beyond Sabrina Bridge.

Councillor Marc Bayliss, deputy leader and cabinet member for economic prosperity, said: "As a council the city centre is our first priority, we know there is more to do which is why we're prepared to spend this money on areas like Broad Street and The Shambles.

"We want to work in partnership with the county council and really deliver on this."

Adrian Field, who runs Worcester's Business Improvement District (BID), representing city centre shops, said: "This will be very well received by businesses, those two streets are the next natural ones to improve.

"Broad Street needs that link up with the High Street and The Shambles badly needs a lift, it's lost some trees in recent years down there too.

"It will be warmly welcomed, anything to improve Worcester's streets is very good news and we are always happy to provide input on it."

Clive Brown, director at the Sony Centre in The Shambles, said: “It will be nice to see, I’ve worked down here the most part of 30 odd years and over time it’s been dug up by various services and never put back together quite right.

“You look at the High Street and that is the rich cousin, some work down here is well overdue – there’s some big names down here and big footfall.

“It’s been looking tired so it will be very good to see hands put in pockets.”

The spending will form part of the council’s 2015/16 budget due to be voted on in February and has been labelled a priority by the Tory administration.