WORK will not be finished on Brighton’s seafront road until November, in the third setback since the road collapsed.

Brighton and Hove City Council has revealed yet another delay for the roadworks on the A259.

The works were originally estimated to be completed within eight weeks after a support above a fire escape in the Fortune of War pub in the Kings Road Arches collapsed in April.

Council chiefs have admitted the work beneath Kings Road, which has forced the closure of part of the road at the south end of West Street, is “more complex” than originally thought.

The subsidence on the morning of April 25 led to rubble and earth pouring into the Fortune of War after workmen removed wall panelling inside.

Previous delays extended the completion date for the work until the end of July and then until the end of September.

Andrew Renaut, the council’s interim head of highways engineering and projects, who oversees structures, coastal protection and flooding, said: “I really understand people’s frustration with the length of time this project is taking.

“Unfortunately, the work is more complex thanweexpected and we are working really hard with our contractors and the property owners to design and build a safe solution.”

The November date is for completion of all work on the seafront – which will include the installation of a second contraflow on the eastbound side of Kings Road for work set to be carried out above Life Bar.A spokeswoman for the city council said: “Following the initial collapse, an investigation was undertaken of the arch in question and adjacent arches that identified other structural concerns.

“We have been working with our contractors and property owners to agree solutions on all the separate issues that have come to light.

“These individual problems relate to the existing structure and alterations that have been carried out during the life of the arches.

“Before any reconstruction can be carried out, it is essential that we ensure that the design is sufficient in the long term.”

The council assured people that once repairs are complete “these locations will stay standing and be able to operate as business premises and seafront attractions for another 120 years”.