COUNCIL bosses have revealed that the final bill for replacing the controversial cladding at Blackburn's troubled town hall could cost more than £420,000.

And Blackburn Council looks like having to foot most of the bill after contractors Sunley-Turriff came up with a five figure settlement.

The tower block in Blackburn town centre hit snags just four years after a £3.5 million refurbishment was completed.

Problems were found with the cradle around the tower building and many of the outer tiles later became lose in high winds.

The outer aluminium cradle has never worked properly despite several attempts to fix it.

And early teething troubles with the light grey panels were quickly followed by the discovery that the darker panels were also faulty.

It has since been decided to scrap the cradle altogether and replace it with a new design. And to the add to the problems the sub-contractors responsible for the blunder went into receivership leaving the council with a hefty repair bill.

A mistake by consultants called in to solve the problem meant that the original cost of the repairs soared by £100,000.

But lengthy discussions with the contractors and the council's legal experts mean that the repairs work could soon be finished.

Contractors Sunley-Turriff have now made an offer which town hall bosses are recommending that councillors accept.

Solicitors also believe the council could lose out altogether if the current offer was not accepted.

Council leader Malcolm Doherty said: "The setbacks surrounding this work have been unfortunate and have not been of our own making. But now we can at last proceed and get the job finished."

The repair work will be discussed in private tonight at a policy and resources committee meeting.

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