A ROMAN landmark is to be lit up in a bid to encourage more tourists to come to Colchester at night.

Balkerne Gate will be the first of the town's heritage sites to be lit up by 22 LED lights.

The work on the Grade 1 Listed landmark has been approved by Historic England.

The lights were switched on Friday night.

Ian Vipond, Colchester Council's strategic director for commercial and place, said: "It's so easy for the extraordinary to become ordinary when you see them day in, day out.

"Colchester has some amazing sights and this hopefully will come as a reminder to us all to take pride in our heritage.

"Making more of our heritage will also help raise Colchester's profile as a tourist destination, boosting the considerable contribution it makes in terms of earnings and jobs."

Built in the 1st century, the 100-ft Balkerne Gate is of international significance because it has four entrances - Roman town gates were usually limited to a maximum of two.

There are no other examples of quadruple gates in Britain and very few elsewhere in Europe.

Experts say the gateway was built to allow traffic on the Roman road from London to enter the town.

Holy Trinity church, in Trinity Street could be next on the list of sites to be lit up by the council, but no firm plans have been made.