A BORDERS village is set for upheaval in the new year when it has new street lighting installed.

Officers from Scottish Borders Council revealed that pavements will be ripped up and parking suspended when work is carried out in Walkerburn.

The upgrade, expected to take around six weeks, is part of a £5m project to instal energy-saving LED lights across the region.

Council officer Elaine Nicol told a meeting of Walkerburn’s community council that it was necessary to drill into the ground.

“It won’t have to be a deep dig but it is necessary to put in new ducting for health and safety reasons,” she said.

The council workmen are expected to cover about 5 metres of the street each day putting in the new lights.

“The lorry will be parked and move progressively along the road as the work is being done and we will have to suspend parking,” said Ms Nicol.

“We will try to strike a balance between getting the work completed and causing the minimum disruption.” Tweeddale East councillor Stuart Bell said: “We should be supportive of this as it will save the council some momey.

Weather permitting work is expected to begin in early January.