COUNTY council officials are staying tight-lipped over the planned completion date of Hexham’s new bus station, after signs were altered to suggest a four-month delay in the work.

The £2m project at the former Loosing Hill car park site got under way on February 1, with signs informing the public that construction work would take six months.

But with August on the horizon, signs have now been altered to read 10 months, and a county council spokeswoman has admitted that there have been some “small but unavoidable” setbacks.

Despite these, the council maintains construction work is progressing well, with completion expected “in the autumn”.

“The building contractor is currently organising the delivery of specialist materials for this high quality project,” she said.

“Once this has been completed we will be in much better position to be more specific about timescales. ”

The new facilities will include an enclosed waiting area, toilets and a refreshment booth.