THE seafront road works have been set back for a fourth time, with the completion now expected to be early December.

Since April this year Kings Road on Brighton seafront has had bollards, barriers and contra flow in place after a section beneath the tarmac collapsed.

The work was originally given a completion date of eight weeks but now it is expected to take nearly eight months.

The council revealed yesterday that the ongoing work on the arches has required additional structural assessment, which has meant that the work will take longer to complete.

The work has been ongoing since the road began to sag as tonnes of earth and rubble began to pour in through the ceiling of the Fortune of War after workmen removed panelling on April 25.

At first it was hoped the road would be re-opened by mid June. But the work was set back to July, then to September and then November.

While the completion date was further delayed, there was some relief for motorists and traders yesterday, as the eastbound road and left turn from West Street were reopened.

But both carriageways will only remain open over this weekend, before work begins beneath the westbound side, which will mean one lane is closed.

The westbound Kings Road will be limited to a single lane as work begins to repair faults in the arch discovered in the currently being refurbished Life Bar.

Traffic travelling west will also still be prevented from turning right into West Street and the right turn out of West Street will also remain blocked off.

The work has been described by the council as “critical and complex” because of difficulties designing an appropriate propping structure while work on the arch is carried out.

Geoff Raw, Brighton and Hove City Council’s executive director for environment, development and housing, said: “The work to repair and strengthen the arches along the A259 at the bottom of West Street is going to take a little longer than we anticipated.

“This is due to the critical and complex area we are working in and the need to ensure the design we’re putting in has met all the appropriate safety checks.”