There was a pledge that the upgrade to Giles Circus would be complete ready for tonight’s Christmas light switch on.

Ipswich Star: Giles Circus roadwork, IpswichGiles Circus roadwork, Ipswich

But tonight, as crowds gather for the lighting up ceremony and shoppers take advantage of the first evening of late night shopping, there are still barriers and cones out.

Over recent weeks Suffolk county council teams have been rebuilding the road at the Circus – which was only created six years ago – as part of a bid to make the roads in the area more pedestrian friendly.

They are also installing services in Queen Street to allow the area to become home to market stalls on a more regular basis.

Work was due for completion ahead of the Christmas rush, avoiding any disruption to the festivities.

However, a spokesman for the county council said the work at Giles Circus would now be completed tomorrow.

He said: “The engineers working on the process thought the lights switch on was scheduled for Sunday and had been working to ensure it was completed by then.”