A TOILET refurbishment project at Bournemouth's main station has taken 26 weeks to complete because the edifice is a listed building.

Network Rail said the refit of the facilities on the London-bound Platform 1 included a replacement of the floor, the roof, the walls and all fittings, with re-plastering, painting and tiling on top.

"An electrical cabinet and part of the adjacent café were also overhauled owing to dry rot which was discovered within the building fabric," said a spokesman. "As a listed building, Network Rail has a duty to care for the building in addition to an obligation to keep the public safe."

The station's listing schedule describes it as: "The most elaborate of the stations designed in the Queen Anne style for the LSWR."

The original station was constructed in 1885 to the designs of William Jacomb, engineer to the London and South-Western Railway.

An announcement of the toilets' re-opening will be made shortly, said Network Rail.