Hours of cancelled work have delayed the completion of Accrington bus station.

The new transport hub is now due to be completed two weeks later than planned, after heavy rain, high winds and frost left contractors unable to work for much of November.

The expected completion date is now Friday, May 13, after a total of 65 hours’ work had to be cancelled last month due to weather conditions.

On other occasions only minor work could take place, when major work had been scheduled.

However Ray Goldstone, the president of Accrington Chamber of Trade, was unworried by the delay.

He said: “Two weeks won’t make a lot of difference, as we have been waiting a long time already.

“We will be glad to see the bus station up and running, but we won’t know if it will make a difference to the town until we suck it and see.

“It takes a long while for these things to make a difference, you’ve got to give something three years at least.”

Contractors say the work could still be completed by the end of April if the weather holds and lost time can be made up.

Already, the roof, external and internal brickwork and surfacing on the bus apron has started.

The roof is now nearing completion, external brickwork is complete and glazing is being installed, while internal brickwork is being added.

Once the building has been made watertight, work can be done to install the necessary fittings inside.

A new bin store has also been built in south east corner of the site and the wall at the back of Blackburn Road is also underway.

Progress has also been made on the new Union Road pedestrian link, where construction of the building’s steel frame and removal of old beams has been completed, making way for a high ceiling and creating a bright walkway from the bus station to the town centre.

However, Ray said that, although ‘everybody hopes it will make a difference’ to trade, he thinks the real issue is the number of empty units in Accrington.

He added: “It’s a matter of getting more shops into the town to fill the empty units.

“Footfall will slowly build up, but anyone who things this will make a big difference needs to understand that the bus station is not a magic turnaround.”