POOLE council has been urged to apologise to the public after revealing that the town’s lifting bridge will not be back in use before mid-January.

The reopening of the 90-year-old lifting bridge has been put back for a seventh time.

The council said “critical works” would finish by Christmas but more time was needed for safety tests and commissioning the operating system.

The renovation is already six months behind schedule and is likely to exceed its £4.7million budget.

A week ago, the authority cancelled an official opening but said the bridge would be in use before Christmas.

A statement from Julian McLaughlin, head of growth and infrastructure at the Borough of Poole, said: “While all critical works on the bridge will be completed by Friday December 22, the bridge will remain closed over the Christmas period as testing of the safety systems and commissioning of the full operating system must be completed prior to opening.

“Works will recommence early in the New Year and Poole Bridge is due to be opened as soon as possible in January.”

Bill Constance, chair of Poole Quays Forum, said: “I think it’s very disappointing the bridge opening has been delayed again. We understood why there were delays initially when they were putting in underwater cables, but these latest delays are unacceptable.

“Somebody has not done their job properly, and they need to make an apology to the people of Hamworthy. They have got used to coming round the long way, but their patience has been tried beyond the pale.”

Poole Town councillor Mark Howell said the council’s reputation was suffering over the episode.

“I can understand setting a date and missing it – these things happen – but setting multiple dates and keeping missing them suggests that something’s gone a little bit wrong,” he said.

Fellow Poole Town councillor Andy Hadley said: “It’s deeply frustrating, and we need to know how the council is going to learn from this when it starts the Townside Access scheme – we don’t want to get protracted chaos.

“It makes the council look ridiculous when a project isn’t finished in the timeframe.”