We hit the streets to ask residents how local councillors could make improvements to Dereham.

Chris George, 26, who lives in the town and works in warehousing, said: “Some more shops would be a good thing - it’s mainly charity shops that we’ve got in Dereham.”

%image(15582627, type="article-full", alt="Nitradi Savage, 40, said that traffic south of the A47 could be better managed.")

Nitradi Savage, 40, a care assistant who also lives in the town said: “Traffic near the Railway Tavern could be better managed.

“They need to look at it, because there are too many traffic lights when you’re coming out of Toftwood, or from Tesco.”

%image(15582631, type="article-full", alt="Audrey Foster, 95, said she was disappointed to see trees cut down near the old maltings.")

Audrey Foster, 95, said: “The biggest thing is our trees. I live near the old maltings, where all the trees we used to look at have been taken down.”

Mrs Foster added that some parts of the town could do with a clean.

“What people must think when they come here and see Dereham,” she said.

%image(15582636, type="article-full", alt="Helen Cramp, 72, said that too many new homes had sprung up in recent years, worsening the town's congestion problem.")

Helen Cramp, 72, who lives in Shipdham, said: “They’ve built thousands of houses in the last few years - it’s just awful. At the weekends, it’s practically a no-go area [because of the traffic].”

She added: “When I first moved here, there were proper little shops in the town, and now it’s dying on its feet.”

%image(15582642, type="article-full", alt="Douglas Speed, 78, said the town could be made more accessible for people with mobility problems.")

Douglas Speed, 78, said accessibility in the town could be improved for people who use mobility scooters, particularly around Littlefields and Mary Unwin Road.

“Some of the hedges in Dereham are very high, and motorists coming towards you can’t always see you when you’re [obscured behind one] on a mobility scooter,” he said.

%image(15582644, type="article-full", alt="Tony Sansom, 72, said "ear-splitting" overhead fighter jets made it harder to enjoy his garden.")

Tony Sansom, 72, who lives on the edge of Dereham, said the town suffered from excessive military aircraft noise.

“It’s the fighter jets which cause a lot of noise at times. It seems to have got worse in the last two or three years,” he said.

“I like to be able to sit out in my garden, but sometimes I can’t, because of the ear-splitting noise overhead.”