THIS is the scene in Newport city centre where demolition work for the £90 million Friars Walk development is gathering pace.

The shops that once stood at the rear of John Frost Square are now nowhere to be seen while the former bus station is being slowly torn down.

It is hoped that the work, which includes the demolition of the Capitol car park, will be finished in time for construction of Friars Walk to start in March next year.

Newport council has agreed to borrow £90 million to lend on to the developers behind the Friars Walk shopping centre to get it open within two years.

Earlier in 2013 the Argus reported workers had found hundreds of hypodermic syringes on the demolition site, while people had been caught in air ducts trying to strip out metal.

Specialist staff were brought in from the authority’s environmental team to clear the hazardous material.

Senior council officer Sheila Davies said she had also seen drug users trying to walk through the site to “do a reccy”.

The Welsh Government has provided £1.5 million in funding for the city centre demolition work in and around John Frost Square.