Areas across Edinburgh are set for a facelift this month as a £153,000 clean up kicks off.

This welcome investment was announced in February as part of the £2 million in extra funding made available by the City of Edinburgh Council. A total of £650,000 of that was earmarked for street cleansing and environmental projects.

A run-down play area in Greenacres, Wester Hailes, is one of five play parks to benefit from the funding boost and is undergoing a much-needed lick of paint this week.

Other projects include:

• Cleaning up the Water of Leith basin and Niddrie Burn;

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•Landscape improvements to the North Edinburgh Path Network;

• Improving access in Liberton Park;

• Fixing fences and installing bike racks in the Meadows;

• Constructing tree pits and replacing trees in Saughtonhall Drive;

• Landscaping the entrance to Campbell Park.

Environmental task forces teams in each of Edinburgh's neighbourhood areas drew up the list of projects they felt would benefit in the short term.

A total of £21,000 is being spent in the south west neighbourhood, £22,000 in Leith and the city centre, £26,000 in the west, £24,000 in the east, £20,000 in the north, £30,000 in the south, and £10,000 to paint play parks throughout the city.

David Lyon, Head of Environment at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: "This extra money means that we can carry out targeted improvements to local areas across the city which are in need of a bit of a facelift. It is an excellent opportunity to enhance some of our open spaces to the benefit of both local residents and visitors."

(GK)