AN ASBESTOS alert has delayed the reopening of Padiham Town Hall in the wake of the floods which devastated the market town over Boxing Day and the New Year.

Borough council bosses had hoped to reopen the main town hall rooms, which houses Padiham Town Council, at the Burnley Road complex some time later this year.

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But an engineer’s report has identified that the flood waters have disturbed asbestos within the structure’s framework, which will require the intervention of specialist cleaners.

And it has emerged that the centrepiece ballroom floor, which stages a number of classes and is a popular venue with locals, will need completely replacing because of flood damage.

Work began on the reinstatement of the town hall in January and the county library, on the north side of the building, reopened a short time later.

Kevin Mackay, of the borough’s property agents Liberata, said: “Once the cleaning work has been done, there will be a need for a range of major works, involving replacement of the ballroom floor, the boilers and the service installation, repairs to the lift and further flood resilience works.”

Insurance payouts are expected to cover the main costs of the wholesale refurbishment. A Burnley Council spokesman said: “We recognise that people will be disappointed by this situation.

“However we also know that everyone will expect the council and its contractors to carry out the assessments and repair work in a systematic, thorough and professional manner, so as to help secure the future use of this landmark building.

“It is important to get the building open again as soon as possible. It is a valuable resource for the local community. But it is also important to make sure that all health and safety issues are fully dealt with in line with legal requirements and best practice. This does take time.”

Once the work has been completed then the borough and town councils are planning, with local traders, to stage a celebration event.

Town councillors have been meeting at various locations around Padiham, as a temporary measure, while the works have been ongoing.