Time is ticking on a £102,000 cashpot to fund town centre improvements - which has sat untouched for seven years.

Residents are being asked to decide how to use the money before it is lost next year.

The cash has been sitting in Tendring Council’s coffers since supermarket chain Lidl handed it over in 2005 as part of planning permission for their Dovercourt store.

A consultation earmarked new street lights as top choice for the cash, but a bill of £60,000 for just six lamp posts has left councillors and traders scratching their heads.

Tendring Council’s deputy leader, Peter Halliday, urged residents to either back the plan or come up with new ideas before the money is lost.