A PATCHWORK of paving is driving city centre traders crazy.

Residents and business owners are furious over "poor quality patchwork" repairs to the pavements.

They have campaigned for months to bring the concrete section of Oswald Street up to the same standard as the other surrounding footways, which are paved with dark flagstones.

When the original paving slabs were laid, scaffolding had been erected in the middle of the street, but after it was dismantled the rest of the pavement wasn't upgraded.

Now locals are demanding answers after Glasgow City Council contractors began replacing the pavement with more concrete last week.

Denis Rixon, owner of the Oswald Street Bookshop, is concerned that the funds are not available to upgrade the section properly.

He said: "Part of me thinks that they had the money to do it at some stage, so where has that gone to?

"Surely they can't just have had the money to do half of the street.

"They have replaced the pavement round the corner in York Street with the paving slabs but for some reason they can't do it there.

"It looks like a last- minute repair job before the Commonwealth Games."

Councillor Nina Baker, who has been working with residents to rectify the problem, is calling for a full resurface of the street, and said it should be treated as "high profile".

She said: "I feel as though this street lets the district down.

"When I raised this issue with our roads department a while ago I was assured it would be resurfaced and I took that to mean a full resurface.

"As Oswald Street will be a key transition stop from the Fastlink bus to Central station, it is my strong view that it should be regarded as high profile and if not given the full stone slabbing it deserves then at least it should be fully resurfaced rather than patched."

Malcolm Thomas-Haley, chairman of the Fusion Complex residents committee, agreed that the work was unacceptable, and said the constant cracks and patch repairs were "a danger to the public".

He said: "There's been a constant battle with the council, and despite their promises to repair it using the proper materials, for whatever reason they've not bothered and laid down concrete instead."

A council spokesman said that the existing repair work was a temporary solution to the problem.

He added: "LES contractors are currently carrying out 'patch and repair' work in Oswald Street - this is very much an interim solution.

"We appreciate this is not ideal, but the intention of the council's city centre strategy team is to bring forward its public realm strategy and complete these sections with an appropriate surface similar to the rest of the area by the end of the year."

hannah.rodger@eveningtimes.co.uk