SECURITY is to be stepped up around the temporary wasteland that will be created by vacant buildings in Bracknell town centre as the regeneration begins.

The police and Bracknell Forest Council have sought to address concerns that the now-empty shops in Broadway and Crossway will be a magnet for fly-tipping, theft and antisocial behaviour.

They are set to be demolished in July, with hoardings due to go up to prevent access by the public.

The demolition is being carried out by the Carey Group, which will be providing security for the site, said Ian Boswell, community safety manager at Bracknell Forest Council.

He added: "Contractors will be going through the buildings to see what is recyclable, what needs to be disposed of elsewhere, that kind of thing.

"July and August is when the buildings come down. There will be CCTV monitoring of the site. It's a potentially dangerous building site." Inspector Jon Goosey, deputy police commander for Bracknell Forest, added: "Our neighbourhood town centre team is in liaison with the developers.

"We will keep up that liaison to keep it a crime- free area." Access routes to Broadway and Crossway which were previously available have now been closed off.

Maps detailing the new pedestrian routes have been delivered to every household in the area and are also available on www.bracknell.com But Insp Goosey said the new walkways would be patrolled regularly, and monitored by CCTV.

There will also be additional CCTV around the hoardings, provided by the developer.

Helen Barnett, of the Bracknell Regeneration Partnership, which is carrying out the redevelopment of the town centre, said hoardings are now starting to go up and this will be finished in a "few weeks time".

"The hoardings are going up as planned and the site surveys are being undertaken as we speak," she said, adding that a path that was suitable for wheelchairs around the site to the west is due to be opened soon.

The regeneration of the town centre will also involve the eventual redevelopment of Charles Square. The new-look Bracknell town centre, due to be completed in October 2015, will have about 50 new shops - including Marks and Spencer, Fenwick and possibly Primark - plus restaurants and a new Cineworld cinema.