FLAGS are flying high outside Crewe's seat of local government after months of controversy over its town squares.

Mayor Howard Curran, deputy mayor Maurice Jones and junior mayor Louise Baddeley, 10, performed the official opening of the Municipal Square on Thursday, nearly a year after work started on a major revamp.

A small crowd gathered to watch the civic dignitaries perform an official ribbon-cutting.

It means the square is now open for a Remembrance Day parade - with the restored war memorial taking pride of place.

Landscaping included building new footpaths, cutting down trees and installing drainage.

The memorial, restored by special-ists at Liverpool, was lowered into place in front of a crowd of onlookers.

Fewer turned up to see the new square unveiled.

One onlooker, Eric Evans, 73, of Crewe, said: 'I wasn't for the move, because I thought 'what was the point?' but the new square does look a tidy place.

'It has cost a lot of money, but looks better, especially at night with the lights making it safer for people in town.'

Work began on the square in December 2005. The final design was arrived at after consultation with local veterans' groups which approved the planting and the layout.