WESTBURY Station has been given a new and improved look thanks to the hard work of a team of tireless volunteers.

The team, comprising people from the Heart of Wessex Rail Partnership and the Friends of Westbury Station, have been working on different sections of the station for the past three and a half years and unveiled the new embankment on Thursday (November 24).

Weeds have been cleared and there is a new stone 'Westbury' sign which was handcrafted by stonemason Simon Meade-King.

Wiltshire Council’s portfolio for transport, Horace Prickett, said: “It was a collaborative effort involving people all along the Wessex line, from Bristol to Weymouth, who have worked very hard transforming the area.

“The approach to the station was an absolute rubbish tip not too long ago. People would happily throw crisp packets, plastic bottles and other things out of their windows because other people had been doing so.

“But now, since the improvements have been made, we’ve noticed that not one bit of litter has been thrown, which is fantastic.

“A similar thing happened at Trowbridge Station several years ago after we tidied that up – people stopped littering.

“Now that we’ve finished this, we will work on upgrading the planters on the platforms, which have become a bit tired looking in recent months.”

The group of five received funding from the Heart of Wessex and the Bay Tree café to help pay for tools and materials.

Team leader Rob Brown said: “We’ve put a lot of hard work into improving the steep embankment but it has been worth it.

“Lots of people have commented on how much nicer it looks which is just what we want to hear.

"The most encouraging thing is that it has improved human behaviour - there has been a notable reduction in the amount of litter."