BUS company bosses gave cautious backing to town centre pedestrianisation plans yesterday.

The man behind them said he wanted them to take effect so that environmental improvements totalling £7m can be started.

The scheme came closer to realisation when Les Southerton, chief executive of Middlesbrough's Town Centre Company, unveiled a computerised model of how it will operate.

With Stagecoach buses depicted as green shapes, Arriva buses as red and Leven Valley buses and cars as purple, the moving image showed how they will be re-routed from the central section of Newport Road, making way for pedestrians.

They will follow an alternative path around the town centre, with extra bus lanes along Borough Road and Hartington Road.

Bosses at Arriva and Stagecoach, the two main operators to be affected by the change to 90 services, last night voiced tentative support for the plans.

Paul Desantis, Stagecoach's commercial director, said: "We are pleased to have been consulted over the process of the town centre regeneration and re-routing of buses.

"We are working with the council to ensure that our customers are inconvenienced as little as possible and so that they will know in advance where they can catch buses."

Steve Burd, Arriva's commercial director, said: "We understand that Middlesbrough council is seeking to increase the area's attractiveness by expanding the pedestrianised zone.

"Obviously, some people will be disadvantaged, but we are willing to see what the outcome of the experiment will be."

Starting on October 22, the new system will be introduced for a six-month trial period.

Mr Southerton said that it will be amended as necessary.

"We will be monitoring it on a daily basis, and if something is going badly wrong, we will change it," he said.

In the meantime, those affected are being given the chance to air their views on the model at a series of meetings.

Mr Southerton said the system will allow improvements worth £7m from the Government's Single Regeneration Budget.

"The frustration is that the money is there and we want to be able to use it," he said