Old hazardous paving stones lining the path to historic Malmesbury Abbey have been repaired and relaid this week.

The work is part of the upkeep of the Grade II-listed monument, which attracts about 60,000 visitors each year.

“The work is going really well,” said the Rev Neill Archer.

“Trimbles are working really well on the old end of the path and it has started to look a lot more level and like a path should be looking.”

Concerns have been rife in the town over the last few months over uneven paving stones and a working group led by Coun Amanda Kettlety at Malmesbury Town Council has been researching the worst affected areas.

As a scheduled ancient monument, work on the abbey is conducted by Bristol Diocese in line with English Heritage rules.

“We don’t want people falling over on their way into the abbey, or on the way out for that matter,” said Mr Archer.

“Repairing them all at once seemed like being a good solution. We can’t just do what we like though, and quite understandably. We can’t suddenly rip out the paving and put down Tarmac; we just have an on-going conversation with Bristol Diocese.

“It’s good news, particularly for people who are frail and struggle to walk.”