SPRAY painted lines of different colours on Petersfield town centre pavements are paving the way for a major power project likely to start in the New Year.

The dotted and unbroken paint lines follow underground cables, pipes and ducts and were sprayed on the pavements by specialist contractors working Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks.

A spokesman for the contractors said the pipes, ducts and cables were also being mapped, and their depth below ground recorded.

The work is the start of the biggest upgrade to the electric supply in Petersfield town centre and surrounding roads in decades, if not longer, a power company spokesman said.

The spokesman added: “We are currently planning a major upgrade to the electricity network in and around Petersfield.

“This will see the underground cables in and around the town centre replaced, which will mean a more robust and reliable electricity supply for the local community.

“For a project of this scale, we need the relevant permits and permissions from a number of parties, for example the highways department, local landowners and businesses.

“We are still at the negotiation stage with some of these parties, and when we have more details on the start dates for the various stages of this project we will be sure to let everyone know.”

It is also unclear at the moment how long the work will take, how much it will cost, or what disruption, if any, there will be.