Traders and town councillors in Wallingford are pulling together to give the town a major boost to attract customers and tourists - and to make sure it stays a thriving market town in the future.

Traders set out their ideas at a special breakfast meeting called by Wallingford Business Partnership and their work has been praised by newly-elected MP Ed Vaizey, who promised his help.

The town council is helping foot the bill for a complete survey of the area being done by the independent Civic Trust which should help secure the town's long-term prosperity. And South Oxfordshire District Council is already conducting a survey of traders to find out what the town needs and to assess the impact of new shopping areas like the Didcot Orchard Centre.

The moves to work together follow more than two years of disruption in the town centre caused by the building of the new Waitrose superstore and other developments.

Traders lost money when people stopped coming to Wallingford because of difficulties with parking.

They also believe business was affected because the town looked like a building site.

Now the store has been completed, traders are hoping shoppers will come back to the town.

Business Partnership chairman Keith French said: "We have a lovely market town with its own atmosphere and with a unique set of shops.

"We want shoppers to return, we want visitors and tourists to come here and sample what we have to offer. We want everyone to know that Wallingford is back in business."

For the partnership, Dee Cripps, who organised the meeting, said: "We have to be positive and upbeat to market Wallingford as a wonderful place to visit.

"We all need to work together."

Both town and district councils have promised to work fast to get the former Waitrose premises back into use to stop them being a blight on the southern part of the town.

District council cabinet member and town council member Nigel Moor said: "The survey by the Civic Trust will look at the old Waitrose shop and the Regal Centre area to try to work out a development plan for it and we want the owners to work with us."