A STAIRCASE in Festival Place is to be replaced with an escalator in a bid to make the shopping centre more accessible to shoppers.

Work is currently being carried out to replace a staircase outside Debenhams, on the bottom floor of the shopping centre, with an escalator to allow easy access to the top floor.

Boarding has been erected around the site and signage has been put up to direct shoppers while the work takes place.

The new escalator is expected to be unveiled in November.

Steve Connolly, Festival Place centre director, said: “To make life easier for our customers we have decided to replace the spiral staircase outside Debenhams with an escalator.

“It will be business as usual at Festival Place while the work takes place and the new escalator will be ready for all of our Christmas shoppers, come November.”