Three-quarters of a million pounds is being spent to fix a Norwich city centre car park, with drivers warned the number of spaces will be reduced while the work is done.

Norwich City Council bosses say the 'ongoing deterioration' at the 1970s-built reinforced concrete St Giles multi-storey car park has reached a point where repairs are essential.

The waterproof membrane on all the suspended decks of the 330-space car park will need to be replaced through the work, which started today.

The work, being carried out by Makers Construction Ltd on behalf of the council, is expected to be complete this summer.

The car park will be open throughout the repair work but with reduced capacity while the refurbishment is carried out on a section-by-section basis.

Acoustic fencing will be used to help tackle any noise caused by the work with noise levels actively monitored and recorded at all times.

Paul Kendrick, cabinet member for Norwich City Council, said: 'On-going repairs to the car park are essential in order for us to continue to provide an important facility to support the economy of the city and maintain a crucial income stream.

'These costs will be fully recovered by the income it continues to bring in so we're simply adopting a prudent approach of spending to reinvest in the car park.'

Repairs were last carried out in 2004, with a projected life span of a decade,

Following the repairs then, the council started a life care plan, with regular inspections to monitor the condition of the structure and to identify any necessary repairs, which is what highlighted the need for further maintenance.

Last year, £1.1m of repair work had to be carried out at another city centre car park.

The spaces available for shoppers at Norwich City Council's St Andrews multi-storey car park were cut by as much as a third at times during months of work.

The car park, off Duke Street, opened in 2005. but just four years later cracks were discovered and props were put in place.

It took years to thrash out who should pay for the repairs.

A compensation settlement from the insurers of the company that built it was finally reached in 2015.