PLANS to get skateboarders out of Burnley's town centre bandstand have not been abandoned, council bosses have insisted.

Councillors agreed last September to put up a four-and-a-half-foot fence around the bandstand to deter skaters.

However concerns were raised about how a fence would look and the council said in February it was looking at installing a ridged surface around the bandstand steps and at the top and bottom of the ramp to stop skaters using it.

Bosses promised then work would start 'shortly', but work has yet to begin on the scheme.

Burnley Council's director of development David Brown said: "A contractor was appointed for these works at the end of March.

"However, increases in material prices and the need to find alternative suppliers meant some delay in carrying out the work.

"All these problems have now been resolved and work will start on site in early June."

Shopkeepers and businesses in the area around the bandstand said they were disappointed the scheme was taking so long to be put in place.

Rob Teague, owner of The Car Shop, St James' Street, said: "The groups feel like a nuisance and they do not have any regard for other people using the area, that is the real issue.

"I think it is only a matter of time before somebody gets hurt but I hope it doesn't have to go that far before the council take action."

Further measures may be installed if the new surface fails to deter the skateboarders.

The fencing scheme was expected to cost £6,500 and involve fencing off the whole of the bandstand, though it is unclear how much the new scheme will cost.

The call for more measures to remove the increasing numbers of skateboarders in that area, close to McDonald's, came amid fears from the council and shopkeepers about public safety.

The adoption of a by-law to control skateboarding in certain parts of the borough is another option being considered by the council.

The borough council's head of legal services is currently preparing a report on the possibility of bringing in a by-law.