Dumfries and Galloway Council has confirmed repair work is needed on part of its current regeneration programme in the town.

Two new bus shelters were erected as part of the scheme, but it is understood a roof panel has shattered in each shelter. They have been forced to close until repairs are carried out.

Police are said to be reviewing CCTV footage to see if vandalism was involved, but first inspections do not seem to suggest this occurred.

Repairs to the shelters will be carried out next week, the local authority has said.

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In a statement, a spokesperson explained: "One roof panel in each of the shelters has shattered and as a precaution both shelters have been closed off.

"Police Scotland is checking CCTV footage to help establish when the damage occurred and if possible the cause, however an initial site inspection showed no visible impact damage that would be consistent with being hit by an object.

"Our council has been in contact with the manufacturer/supplier to arrange a repair which will be carried out next week."

This is just the latest setback for the £1m project. Last week, the Council was forced to issue an apology to residents and local businesses after two completion deadlines for the project were missed by the contractors. The works were initially supposed to be completed by mid-June, but this was not achieved due to "unforeseen issues".

A revised deadline was then set for 8 August, but this too, was not met. The regeneration work is still ongoing, but the contractor aims to finish the scheme this month.

(JP/CD)