Railings that surround an old subway in Worcester will be painted red, white and blue - but not in time for the coronation.

Work has started on brightening up the railings around the former subway in Tybridge Street.

And though they will be painted in patriotic colours, the refresh will not be complete until after this weekend’s celebrations.

St John’s county councillor Richard Udall has been complaining for some time about the “dull, dusty and rusty” railings.

“They look drab and miserable, we need a bit of colour in our lives, to brighten the place up and to cheer people up,” he said.

READ MORE: ‘People power’ wins as problem subway shuts

Cllr Udall said it was his suggestion to paint them red, white and blue to help celebrate the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday (May 6).

He said: “The subway is closed for good and will not be reopened, it is still used for storage and houses water pumps, access is still needed.

“For too long it’s just been left, so hopefully we can start to brighten it up with paint and celebrate a national occasion at the same time.

“We are bringing colour back to the streets and marking the coronation of the new king in what has to be a unique way, the railings do need to be painted so why not use bright colourful paint and celebrate good times.”

Cllr Udall said the work is scheduled to be completed in five days, but contractors working on the railings said it will take at least a couple of weeks.

They were in the process of erecting scaffolding at the site on Wednesday and said there was plenty of work to do.

This includes using a powerful jet washer to remove layers of rust and old paint, before three new layers of paint are applied, each of which takes a day to dry.

Coronation celebrations in Worcester this weekend include the ceremony being screened live in Cathedral Square between 10am and 3.30pm. There are also street parties taking place across the city on Saturday and Sunday.