A long-awaited new sports facility which has been subject to a series of delays has seen its opening pushed back yet again.

The ill-fated athletics track at the Three Hills Sport Park in Folkestone has effectively been mothballed until the new year after weather conditions meant work had to be stopped.

Bosses at the sporting complex in Cheriton Road had hoped the track could open in November - but conditions have not been right for spraying on the top surface.

Dan Hulme, chief executive of the Sports Trust which is responsible for Three Hills, said: "We unfortunately hit the weather we couldn't spray in and the spray that did go down was a challenge so the decision was taken to pause again until the new year when the conditions warm up.

"This does give us a little more time to prep the ground and also seed the infield at an appropriate time.

"Disappointing as always not to have it open just yet, but just a little longer for what has been a very challenging environment to get it over the line."

It had previously been expected the facility could have been open to the public by the autumn of last year, but a series of complications with the site have slowed construction.

Work on the track had to be halted in 2021 after concerns were raised about a water course running below the site.

The depth of the culvert carrying the Pent Stream under the ground forced construction to cease, but a solution was eventually found to allow work to begin again.

Currently athletes in Folkestone have to travel 25 minutes by car to reach similar facilities, at either Ashford's Julie Rose Stadium or at the Canterbury Academy.

The new facility at the Cheriton Road sports ground, which is backed by the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust, will be home to Folkestone Running Club.

It has been built on the lowest portion of the site, which previously accommodated a pair of grass football pitches used for local league matches.