The building contractors, Mowlem, says it is now likely to be the end of May before work is finished.

This means the operator - Thermae Bath Spa - is unlikely to open the attraction officially until mid-June.

The delays cost the council �30,000 per week.

Two years

A spokesperson for the council told News Online: "There is no specific reason for this delay.

"Different things have all contributed."

The Spa complex was meant to open by early April, but will now miss the start of Bath's tourist season.

The project is being funded by the council and the Millennium Commission - which provided a grant of �7.78m - with Dutch company Thermae Bath Spa employed as operator.

Work on this latest project to restore the Spa began in September 2000, and was expected to last two years.