Dartmouth's market walls are in line for a new lick of paint.

Town councillors are recommending that the council asked firms to tender for the job of painting the outside of the 187-year-old listed market complex.

The last time the council decided to paint the outside walls it was 12 years and was done as part of a £300,000 revamp which included reroofing most of the complex, relaying cobbles, putting in new walkways, replacing guttering and rewiring properties.

Unfortunately the paint kept falling off the walls and three years later the council was faced with shelling out another £4,000 after finally finding paint that stayed on.

Giving the outside market walls another coat was originally supposed to be part of the latest £400,000 market revamp which was completed last summer.

The revamp involved converting garages into new shop units and turning the market interior into a new, modern looking glass fronted complex. It was decided at the time to drop the painting operation from the project to try and keep costs down.

Now the council is looking at doing the work anyway as town councillor Roby Lyon told the town's corporate property committee: 'It does need doing.'

And Robin Springett said that the market has to be a 'priority' for the council. He added: 'We should be moving ahead with this and maintaining the market place.'

The council is also looking at repainting the back and the front of the ancient Butterwalk complex which it also owns.

Committee chairman Debbie Morris said the north-facing back of the complex was 'looking quite green again'.

Cllr Lyon added: 'It's an old building and has a quite high maintenance requirement.'

The committee agreed to recommend the council goes out to tender for the painting operation for both the front and the rear of the Butterwalk complex.