WORK is under way to transform two grassed areas on Hartlepool's Headland.

The improvements are being made to the Regent and Beaconsfield Squares as part of a £300,000 project.

The work ranges from new railings, walls and footpaths to artwork and better lighting, in an initiative shaped by residents.

It is being funded by the North Hartlepool Partnership, which is using money from regional development agency One NorthEast's Single Regeneration Budget to revitalise north Hartlepool and the Headland.

Additional funding has come from English Heritage, which has given £43,000 for new railings in Regent Square.

In Beaconsfield Square, a low natural stone wall is being built around the edge of the square, and flowers and shrubs will later be planted in beds in the central grassed area.

A stone plinth will be installed in the middle of the grass, featuring a bronze casting of a beacon designed by artist Claudia Rankin.

Regent Square will also have a similar type of stone plinth, with a stone sculpture of a lifeboatman created by Yorkshire artist Mike Disley.

There will also be footpaths around the central grassed area, flowers and shrubs will be planted around the edge, and new footpaths in the street itself.

New perimeter railings will be put in place around the grassed area.

Both schemes are expected to be finished by the end of January.