The "front door" to Swindon is to get a revamp, with work starting on Monday.

Wellington Street is the first thing most visitors to the town see as they emerge from the railway station - and it's the shortest way into the central shopping and business district.

But at the moment it's fairly unprepossessing, with a couple of pubs and office blocks at the end of the street, it doesn't look like somewhere visitors would be keen to go, and the road and pavement surface is broken up and a bit scruffy.

The 15-week project to make the street a much more enticing prospect for visitors will begin on Monday

Coun Maureen Penny, the council’s cabinet member for highways, said: “The rejuvenation of Wellington Street is the perfect way to start 2019 and will be the first of a number of schemes that will transform our town centre.

“Just over the railway line, work will soon start to create the fantastic new indoor ski centre at North Star and, a few months after the Wellington Street improvements are carried out, work is expected to start on our major town centre regeneration scheme at Kimmerfields.

“All these projects to improve the town will mark Swindon down as a place to invest and do business.”

A segregated pedestrian and cycle path alongside the road will created along with a new pedestrian crossing.

The road will be resurfaced and a raised carriageway will be introduced at the junction with Manchester Road and Milford Street featuring contrasting surfacing, ramps to slow vehicles and cyclists and tactile/contrasting paving around the kerb line.

A new toucan crossing will also be installed along Wellington Street and Milford Street.

Maps at the junction with Station Road will show visitors where to head for the town centre, and there'll be one at the junction with Milford Street.

The street will be closed to motor-traffic for the duration of the project - but access will be maintained for people on foot and residents.

Traffic, including bus services, will be diverted.

Further information about the Wellington Street scheme can be found at: www.swindon.gov.uk/wellingtonstreet Alternatively, email: wellingtonstreet@swindon.gov.uk