The divisive design of new paving laid in Canterbury’s high street makes the city “look like Essex”, it has been claimed.

Detractors have questioned the look of slabs put down along a stretch of St George’s Street as part of a £1 million makeover.

The work started five months ago and is not due to be complete for another six weeks.

Canterbury City Council bosses argue it’s too early to make judgements – and once the project is finished they are confident “the predominant opinion will be that we've done a great job”.

But concern has already been raised about the colour and style of the new paving, which critics claim is not in keeping with the historic city.

Resident Samantha Balmforth, 53, told KentOnline: “The style and choice of colour and material is just wrong.

“You’ve got cobbled stone running parallel to this, so I’ve heard a lot of people saying why can’t they use the same cobbles? Not only would that be more resilient against wear and tear but it’s also in keeping with this old city.

“They are trying to turn it into somewhere like Essex. What are they thinking?

“This is not Essex, it’s not a modern place; it is ancient buildings and ancient roads and they need to be in keeping with the others.”

Wincheap resident Chrissy Emms has also questioned the design, while pointing out the new paving is already dirty and stained.

“Am I the only person who wonders why the new paved area at the top of Canterbury’s high street has to look so cheap and nasty?” she said.

“The slabs are already horribly stained. They appear to be porous, which does not bode well for such a busy area.

“Those at the junction of Guildhall and Palace Streets are far more in keeping with the age of the city and appear to be more resilient.

“We could have had more of the same and achieved some sense of continuity instead of a patchwork quilt effect across the city. They are another sad legacy that the last council has left us.”

Talking to KentOnline in St George’s Street, Brian Irving, 71, added of the paving design: “It does your eyes in, kind of hypnotising you.

“I think it would have looked better even if the stones were a bit bigger - it looks like Lego bricks.

“Hopefully once it’s done it will look smart, but it does seem like it will get stained with dog mess.”

The paving has been laid as part of a wider redevelopment of St George’s Street, which will also include new seating, lighting and landscaping.

The project has long-proved controversial as it signalled the end of Canterbury’s historic market, which previously set up on the street but has since been dispersed across the city centre.

The city council says the work is not yet complete and sealant is due to be applied to the paving, which will prevent staining.

It previously said the renovations were vital because the pavement had deteriorated, causing trip hazards and creating deep puddles.

Council spokesman Rob Davies said: "Design and aesthetics are of course entirely in the eye of the beholder and we have long since learnt that it is impossible to please all the people all the time. If you were to stop 100 people in the high street, you would undoubtedly hear a broad mix of views, many of whom would think it looks good.

"We have used high quality materials, as you would expect for a regeneration scheme in such an important and high profile location, and it's really important to stress it's far too early to judge it as we’re six weeks out from completion with the paving finish not done yet.

"It should also be remembered that this part of St George's Street was destroyed during the war so the architecture is modern and therefore using modern rather than natural stone materials in this part of the city is more appropriate.

"We are sure that once the whole project is complete and the area is back in full public use, the predominant opinion will be that we've done a great job on it."