Resurfacing work carried out in a north Norfolk town has been slammed as 'horrendous'.

The work carried out by Norfolk County Council at North Walsham Market Place on October 14, has been criticised by town mayor Dave Robertson.

He said: 'It's an absolute disgrace. It's horrendous. I'm getting people every day stop me and say 'how can they possibly find this acceptable?' I've asked the clerk to ring up and complain about it and they seem to suggest that it is acceptable.'

He said outside the QD store the surface was breaking away already and was not even level.

The mayor also said that four days later, on October 18, the county council painted all the lines, despite being told that it was not good enough.

He added: 'I'm so angry. It looks as if there's been an immense amount of money wasted. We are trying to improve the quality of the town and this looks as though it has been done on the cheap.'

Mair Stockdale, chairman of North Walsham Chamber of Trade, confirmed they had asked the town clerk to contact the highways because there were some pieces they were are not satisfied with.

Phil Reilly, Norfolk County Council highway engineer, said they had visited the Market Place after receiving some complaints about the resurfacing work, and were set to go back and do work on some areas which still needed attention.

He said: 'We know the surface is uneven around one or two drain covers at the moment, with dish-like depressions around them. This is because the covers need to be changed before the surfacing can be done here, to make sure the drains can still be accessed. The utility company who owns them is aware and is due to replace them shortly.'

He added that the new surface would be swept later this week to remove some of the loose chippings.

He added; 'One thing to make people aware of is that the new surface won't look like the same as the old one, as different materials are being used, and we consulted the town council before deciding on this. We use it widely in other areas across the county very successfully and so are confident in its durability.'