Bath Spa in new wrangle over peeling paint

The Bath Spa Project suffered another setback when the council announced it is taking the contractors to court.

Redevelopment of the Spa is already two years late and millions of pounds over budget.

The latest fiasco concerns paint used in the pools which started to peel. The construction firm Mowlem claims the wrong sort of paint was supplied but architects Nicholas Grimshaw said it was not applied correctly and have ordered Mowlem to redo the job.

Mowlem has refused, and is not allowing other contractors on to the site.

Now Bath and North East Somerset council (B&NES) has started injunction proceedings against Mowlem in order to gain access to the development.

A spokesman for Mowlem said: "We are in no doubt that the problem is with the design and specification, not the workmanship. We will strenuously resist any injunction served."

Don Foster, the MP for Bath said: "The people of B&NES have been very badly let down.

"People are hanging around waiting for the most tremendous building to be finished with no fault to the councilwho are stuck in the middle.

He added: "This legal wrangle seems a very sad way to end at this stage of the project."