THESE pictures show the rapid progress at Worcester's emerging Cathedral Square - with the multi-million pound overhaul fully on track.

The insides of the battered old shopping plaza are being pulled apart by an army of workers, signalling the latest phase in the revamp.

Last year investors Salmon Harvester admitted that the retail centre was looking tired, but £20 million is being sunk into completely transforming it both inside and out.

Last autumn a giant hoarding was erected around the outside of the old plaza to effectively create a giant compound for construction workers to decamp in, with a crane and piles of bricks and debris piling up inside a fenced-off area.

Before work starts to clad the outside, giving it a radical, super-modern appearance to woo in shoppers scores of people have been taking it apart by the inside.

Scaffolding has also gone up around the front, with a yellow protective screen covering it from the elements while the work gathers pace.

Worcestershire County Council, which has invested £1.9 million of its own cash into overhauling the roads network facing the plaza, is on schedule to take the scheme back in 2017 to create a continental-style open piazza facing Worcester Cathedral.

In the meantime efforts are still ongoing to secure more tenants for the centre to join the likes of Bryon Hamburgers, Ask, steakhouse Miller and Carter and casual dining chain Cosy Club.

Seven new restaurants are destined to overlook the new piazza, making it a new foodie destination, while a gym and remodelled shops units are also part of the deal for the newly-named Cathedral Square.

The investors say they have been delighted by the reaction so far, with very high levels of interest from shops and restaurants.

Nick Webb, from Salmon Harvester Opportunity Fund said: "Our plans are aimed at attracting good quality restaurant and retail businesses to Worcester and increasing shopper dwell time in the city centre to the benefit of all concerned.

"We are pleased with the progress we have made and the reaction to our plans from restaurateurs and retailers alike."

Dr Ken Pollock, the county council's cabinet member for economy, skills and infrastructure said: "We are very pleased to see the progress being made on the retail and restaurant units and look forward to being able to return to site to complete the Cathedral Square regeneration."

The entire project is set to be finished before the end of 2017.

It follows the removal of the old iconic Cathedral island last year which has been replaced by a reconfigured highways layout, including a strip of land separating motorists heading either way and a turning circle to keep traffic flowing.

* EXCLUSIVE: Investors promise to invest £20m into Cathedral Square scheme as plaza rebirth kicks off.