Watch: Why Ironbridge paving replacement is going ahead

Telford & Wrekin Council today released a video in a bid to explain why the flagstones at the Wharfage and Tontine Hill, which have been in place since the 1980s, need to be replaced with block paving.

The proposals by the authority to change the Yorkstone paving with clay brickwork have sparked a row between those living within the World Heritage Site.

A petition against the plans now has more than 3,600 signatures, having been launched less than a fortnight ago. Some residents, however, have defended the decision to replace the paving stones.

The video aims to explain the safety reasons behind the need to change the stones.

It states: "We are about to replace the Yorkstone paving on The Wharfage in Ironbridge. Some people have objected so why are we doing it?"

It then airs a number of interviews with councillors, business owners and residents who are in favour of the proposals.

Among them was Graham Hickman, 66, who has lived in Ironbridge's High Street all his life,

He said: "We meet people from all over the world. We want them to be safe and as I say there's been a lot of negativity going out on social media about the state of the pavements.

"They look very good when they first came out even through they were reclaimed from a builder's yard in Bradford.

"It was a quick fix at the time and they've done well. But they've worn out now.

"They are dangerous for people to walk across, expensive to maintain and in wet and icy conditions it turns into an ice rink."

Councillor Nicola Lowery, ward member for Ironbridge, also appears on the video, saying the stones were of "very little historic value".

She said: "I think we really want to improve Ironbridge continually and we are very aware we want to make it the best it can look, in keeping with the World Heritage Site."

To petition against the plans is at change.org/p/save-ironbridge-stone-pavements