Refurbishment of public toilets is delayed again

Works on the building were originally supposed to have been completed before the town's literature festival in October

Bad weather and contractor delays have been blamed for the continued closure of a public toilet building.

Works on the toilets in Montpellier Gardens in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, were originally due to have been completed in time for the town's literature festival in October.

Speaking at a council meeting on Monday, borough council leaders have now said they cannot commit to the building being ready by the end of January.

Cabinet member for finance and assets, Alisha Lewis, said the reasons behind the delay were "fully outside" the council's control.

Ms Lewis added that the "regrettable" hold-up will not cost taxpayers any more money, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"One thing we have been really clear on is that the taxpayer will not be footing the bill for those delays and that the developer will be swallowing the costs, which I think is fully reasonable.

"If you can't deliver a project on time, we certainly won't be paying extra for the privilege," she said.

Councillor Emma Nelson said the project was another example of works overrunning.

"Just like the Wilson project, overdue. The Minster Exchange, overdue. Electric vehicle chargers on Bath Road, overdue, and now the public conveniences overdue," she said.