WORK has been delayed on a set of steps in Old Town because the contractor is waiting for the slabs to arrive.

The old steps, which connect Stafford Street to Dixon Street, were shut in February to be rebuilt following health and safety fears and were due to be completed earlier this week.

But work has stopped there for more than a week because slabs needed for the steps have not yet arrived.

Coun Dave Wood (Lib Dem, Eastcott) said: “Residents were pleased that these steps were finally being rebuilt, even if it meant them being closed for a few weeks.

“But angry residents have contacted me to complain that the fenced-off site has now been empty for a week.

“It turns out the contractor is waiting for the slabs to arrive, and the delivery date is not known.

“I find it shocking that something as basic as ordering slabs has been messed up. A day or two’s delay is one thing, but a week with no end in sight is something else entirely.

“Meanwhile it’s the hundreds of resident users who suffer, especially those who use the route early in the morning or in the evening, when the cemetery diversion is not open.”

The steps are part of a number of flights which run from Old Town to the town centre and are a popular shortcut for pedestrians, including those going to and from work.

After receiving complaints from the public after the steps were closed, Coun Wood asked Swindon Council to extend the opening hours of Radnor Street Cemetery so it could be used as a temporary shortcut.

A spokesman for Swindon Council said: “We are sorry that our contractor has been unable to complete this work on time.

“They are waiting for some slabs to be delivered from their supplier and we have made it clear we wish to see the work completed as soon as possible once they arrive.”

The council originally closed about half the width of the old steps to be repaired because they were crumbling.

But 18 months later, they were still closed because it had become apparent that the whole structure needed to be rebuilt.

Stafford Street resident Graham Mills said he wanted the work to hurry up. “We have not seen anyone one working on them since last week,” he said.

“We have been very patient for the past two years.”