Midlothian Council has pulled building contractors Skanska into crisis talks over the continuing delays to the opening of several new schools.

The council is reportedly 'irate' over the latest set back after receiving assurances from the contractor that the work would be completed on time.

The contractor has extended the original timetable for the school's opening four times since June this year, and now the council is demanding a detailed timetable for the handover of the schools.

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Reasons for delay of the £70 million pound project include the wrong kind of screed being laid on the school's floors, which took 11 weeks to correct as opposed to the projected one week. Skanska also quoted labourer shortages as a source of delay.

Only two of the eight planned primary schools have been completed, Tynewater and Moorfoot, both of which opened after the October break.

Council leaders held an urgent meeting with Skanska's team last week to thrash out a new timetable and to gain reassurances from Skanska it would deliver to the new timetable.

Midlothian Councillor Jim Muirhead said the meeting had been called "to ensure that Skanska is fully aware of the need to provide us with a definitive programme as soon as possible, which we can pass onto the schools with absolute certainty that there will be no further delays".

(DW/JM)