Walton’s yacht basin is ship-shape for summer with new pontoons and walkways.

The basin has always been a popular destination for visitors and locals alike, and the upgrade is expected to boost local tourism.

The 40-year-old Walton and Frinton Yacht Trust owns the basin and work closely with the yacht club nearby.

Trust secretary Chris Brooke says the work, costing £50,000, was completed by the end of 2015.

“It’s making space for more yachts. We have another 8-9 berths, giving us room for 50 overall. More people will use the marina, which will be good for the trust and it will bring more visitors to town. They can easily walk the short distance to the shops or the railway station. It’s an investment in the town,” he said.

The 96-year-old Walton and Frinton Yacht Club rents its nearby premises from the trust and has 600 members.

“It’s a thriving training centre and offers very good dinghy racing. We run cruises to Ipswich and numerous social events,” added Chris, who is also the club’s rear commodore and racing officer.

This latest work follows a new clubhouse, with bars, meeting rooms, dining facilities, commercial kitchen, showers and toilets that was erected two years ago.

This project cost £600,000 and also features solar panels and a heat pump to make it almost carbon zero.

“We had an old wartime building replaced by a smashing new building,” added club commodore Martin Jenkins.