A MAJOR £28million development in the heart of Burnley has fallen behind schedule.

Work to complete the first phase of the new St Peter's Health and Leisure centre will now not be finished this year as planned because the project has been delayed by three weeks.

The delay has been blamed on electricity contractors United Utilities, who should have moved on site nine weeks ago, and wet weather.

However, today the leader of the council, Coun Stuart Caddy, said the actual opening of the leisure aspect of the centre would not be affected.

He said: "The work has fallen behind but we still expect it to be open on time.

"The aim was for the building work to be finished by the end of the year with the opening in February.

"There is no panic at all."

The 150ft 10 storey building - the tallest in Burnley - on the site of the former St Peter's car park is believed to be the only one of its kind in the country that combines health and leisure centres on a single site.

Around 200 men are working on the development.

The leisure centre will include a "learner" pool with a movable floor so that water levels can be altered to ensure more people can use it. It will also include a sport hall and other sports and leisure facilities. It will replace the Thompson Centre in the town centre.

The health side of the centre will include surgeries, consultation rooms and other offices for health staff. It will replace St Nicholas Health Centre and is due to be completed next summer.

Executive member for leisure, Coun Colette Bailey, said the delay meant the wooden floor to the main sports hall had not been fitted because the arena needed heating so the surface could acclimatise and not shrink.

She added: "The main reason is United Utilities the electricity contractors should have moved on site nine weeks ago. The building contractors have built everything."

A spokeswoman for United Utilities said workers went on site last week to connect the electricity supply. She added: "We always aim to carry out this type of work as quickly as we can for the contractor who requests the work."