Paving being used to rebuild Oxford's main shopping street had to be pulled up after contactors discovered problems with pipes.

Cornmarket Street In July, a £2.2m council improvement programme to repave Cornmarket Street started and the first phase of work has been taking place between the George Street junction and St Michael's Street.

This week, contractors discovered pipework had not been properly completed and they had to prise up six of the granite slabs that will form the new surface.

County highways officer Dariusz Seroczynski said this would not significantly delay the scheme.

He added: "We had to take up about six slabs but they have not been damaged, and contractors have been able to re-lay them without any real problem. There was a suspicion of damage to a valve and we had to call in gas staff to make sure everything was okay."

Council staff are anxious that the granite slabs used are not damaged because they are expensive to replace.

When similar work was carried out outside the new Debenhams store in Magdalen Street, a number of flag stones were damaged after they had been laid by contractors carrying out resurfacing work.

Michael McCarthy, of McCarthy Brothers' greengrocer's in the Covered Market, said: "It looks like they have made a real mess of it. Why didn't they carry out the proper checks before the slabs were laid?"

The first phase of repaving the carriageway and footways of Cornmarket Street is expected to end in mid-October. A second phase, working towards the Carfax end of the street, will begin after Christmas.

The city council is providing the majority of the funding, with the county contributing £425,000.