End in sight for spa paint row

Work on the project should have been completed in September 2002

A long-running row over paint finishes at the Bath spa complex has been resolved - new contractors are to begin repainting the baths within days.

Flaking paint in pools at the multi-million pound centre has been one of the reasons why its completion has been delayed for more than 18 months.

Dutch contractor Bovitec is to start work on the painting on 13 April and should complete it by August.

There is still no official opening date for the spa.

Only when work on the pools is finished will Bath and North East Somerset Council (BaNES) be able to assess how much longer it will be before the complex can finally open to the public.

In a statement, Thermae Bath Spa, the company which will run the centre, said: "We have been advised by the project management team that the proposed date for completion of the outstanding building work on the spa is now autumn 2004.

"We will announce dates for advanced reservations and the subsequent opening as soon as possible."

The row over paint finishes has also seen the cost of the project to reopen the city's thermal spa pools rocket from £26m to an estimated £35m.