When a row of shops reached their sell-by date councillors didn't just call in the demolition experts... they joined in.

Medway members Cllr Alan Jarrett and Cllr Jane Chitty got behind the wheel of a demolition vehicle to knock down the shops in Medway Street.

It was part of a move to transform Chatham waterfront.

The site is being cleared and marketed as a site for development, which is expected to include new shops and riverfront flats.

The scheme previously caused anger among local shop owners, who were told they would have to move out of their premises.

Ted Sweeting who used to run Piggy’s Café in the street had to halt plans to expand after the council announced it wanted to knock the buildings down.

But Cllr Jarrett described the shops as “well past their best”.

He said: “The shops would win no prizes for their looks – they are well past their best and we are removing them to open up the riverside and prepare the site for a developer to move in and start transforming the site.

"It will provide new homes and jobs for local people. This is excellent news for the people of Medway.”

Cllr Chitty added: “This is a really exciting development and shows how the council is investing in Chatham and its future, as we continue to make Medway a great place to live, work and socialise.”

Medway Council is due to turn the site into a temporary car park until a developer buys the land.

Video: The wrecking begins!

Other work to improve the area includes making the riverside walk a more popular destination by creating new surfacing and lighting.

Sun Pier is also being renovated to take boats and re-link the town centre with the waterfront.

Work on a new pontoon will start this month.