EMPTY Huddersfield town centre stores could provide a shop window for artists.

Property owners are being urged to make empty shops look smarter by displaying art in their windows.

Murals or paintings by local schoolchildren could be used to cover empty windows.

David Wyles, Huddersfield town centre manager, is seeking support for the idea from landlords.

The move follows complaints about the rubbish left behind when tenants move out, with circulars, old posters and discarded fixtures littering floors.

Examiner readers highlighted the untidy state of several empty shops as part of our campaign to pinpoint the town's "grot spots".

One reader took a picture showing the litter-strewn windows of the former Next store in New Street.

She said: "When a business lease runs out, it should be written into the contract that the empty premises should be left clean and tidy.

"Messy shops look just as bad as graffiti or rubbish on the streets."

Steve Morton, of Kirklees Council's Huddersfield town centre regeneration team, said: "There are no regulations covering this.

"But the town centre management team is contacting owners of vacant properties with a view to providing window displays, such as murals or pictures by pupils at local schools.

"Providing there is no cost to the owner of the property, I think they would be amenable to the idea of tidying up their frontages."

Mr Morton said talks were under way with a potential new owner for the old Next store.

He added: "It could be that the store will only be vacant for a short time."