ANOTHER two-month delay is set to hold up the completion of Blackburn's flagship regeneration project.

Council bosses have revealed it will be the end of May at the earliest before the fifth and final piece of artwork arrives in Church Street, which has been pedestrianised as part of a £2.5million project.

It had originally been hoped that the five Transitions sculptures would be in place when work on pedestrianising Church Street was complete last April.

But artist Ian Randall asked for extra time, pushing work back to the summer, then to October after he suffered an accident.

Just one of the five statues was ready in autumn, although two more arrived but had to be sent back when fibre optic cables were found to be too short.

The fourth finally arrived and was lowered into place in January before a piece of sculpted granite, designed to hold the fifth one, called Lumen, together, cracked.

Initially, it was thought Lumen, which is five metres tall, would be in place by April, but today Coun Andy Kay, executive member for regeneration, today said it would be later.

He said: "The artist has had to resculpt a piece of granite. It's a key part of the sculpture and that is what has caused the delay.

"It's a disappointment, but it will be worth the wait.

"Our next priority is to get the Pavilions completed and find a tenant or tenants for the pavilions to kick start retail on there again."

The statues have cost £286,000 and have been paid for using European grants.