VISITORS to Chester have been met with gleaming streets after early morning clean teams descended on the city centre.

The teams from Cheshire West and Chester Council have blasted all traces of gum and grime off the pavements in a series of hits starting at 5am and finishing before the morning rush hour.

As well as the deep cleansing, the makeover teams have also painted bollards, lamposts, railings and street furniture, and reaffixed slabs on Town Hall Square.

They have also removed litter and graffiti, re-painted subways and planted new floral displays, including more silver bicycles.

"Some people were quite shocked by the overnight transformation," said Cllr Neil Ritchie, Environment portfolio holder.

"The idea was to cause as little disruption as possible, so we made the most of the light mornings to get the job done."

He added: "It has made a big difference to the streets, which had started to look tired and well used.

"We hope the work is appreciated by people living in and visiting our beautiful city."