TOWN hall bosses are demanding compensation from builders in charge of the £5 million revamp of Bury market.

They are annoyed that the project, designed to cement Bury's position as the best market in the North West, is now six months behind schedule.

One senior councillor has described the project as "a disaster", and council sources have confirmed that Bury will invoke penalty clauses in the contract to get money back.

The new fish and meat hall has finally opened to general acclaim, but work on the rest of the outdoor market is still going on.

It has also been revealed that the council has lost between £100,000 and £150,000 in rents out of its annual £2 million income because of the development.

The work by the market contractors, J. Sisk and Co, has angered Councillor David Higgin, Tory group leader on Bury Council.

"I think this contract has been a disaster," he said. "I don't know why it's gone wrong, it's just what I see with my eyes. "The traders and public have been up in arms and the traders have been losing money. The council doesn't always want to acknowledge that. We should look at this urgently. The next big contract that's let in this town ought to be handled better."

Mr Stan Monaghan, the council's director of corporate resources, admitted that there had been "considerable problems" with the refurbishment.

"There have been difficulties in relation to the performance of the contractor," he said. "The contract has over-run for a whole host of reasons. This contract has had closer scrutiny than any other. It's potentially a legal issue."

Mr Monaghan said the contract was still going, and therefore would not comment further. But he said that a full report would soon be presented before councillors.

The market was supposed to have been completed in May. The latest date given for completion was now mid to late-November.

A council source put the blame firmly on the contractor, saying the firm organised how it would do the work and had failed to meet its deadlines. The source added that the delays had been partly caused because the council had refused to accept work which it did not think was up to standard, adding: "The council has certain remedies to it under the contract, and it is taking up those remedies. The council has told them they want some money back. It might culminate in court action."

Mr Nick Moorhouse, contracts manager for J. Sisk and Co, said his company had no comment to make.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.