THE bosses of Castlepoint shopping centre say they are hoping to have the entire car park fully reopen by the end of next week.

Health and safety inspectors are currently examining remedial work carried out on the troubled lower deck car park to see how much of it can be reopened to the public.

The entire lower level car park was sealed off last Saturday after a chunk of concrete fell from the roof.

Contractors from Kier, the original builder of the car park, were called in to get to the bottom of the structural problems, which have plagued the car park ever since it was finished in October 2003.

And a phased reopening programme has since seen 770 spaces declared safe for shoppers, more than half of the lower deck total.

But spaces outside Asda and B&Q remain closed while further netting is installed and structural improvements made.

A statement issued on behalf of Castlepoint said: "The netting programme will continue over the next week and centre management expect to reopen the remaining spaces in the east car park, servicing Asda and B&Q Warehouse, by the end of the week."

To ensure there is no repeat of the traffic chaos sparked by the sudden closure of the lower car park last weekend, car park staff have been employed to direct customers to available spaces on both levels of the car park.

Staff from Town and City car park management arrived on site on Thursday to manage the car park operation.