Visitors to Oswestry now have some fresh-looking 'welcome' signs to greet them.

Shropshire Council workers were busy sprucing up the many signs last week ahead of the visit by the Heart of England in Bloom judges today (Wednesday).

It follows an extensive survey commissioned by Oswestry's Business Improvement District (BID) of all the signs coming into and around the town, which led to a comprehensive list being drawn up of the all the signs that needed cleaning, foliage clearing from them.

Damaged ones were replaced and old signs that should no longer be there, removed.

This was then forwarded to Shropshire Highways with Oswestry BID ensuring it was pushed through for approval.

Adele Nightingale, manager of Oswestry BID, said: "This, together with replacing the town maps forms phase one and phase two of the signage plan for Oswestry BID.

"The next phase is to look at what signs we have and how to best improve directions into and around our town, industrial estates and with a better wayfinding system for pedestrians.

"This needs to be a collaborative plan between Oswestry BID, Oswestry Town Council and Shropshire Council," she added.

Meanwhile, the BID team had a visit from Owen Paterson, MP for North Shropshire on Friday, to see how he could support the initiative.