PATIENCE is wearing thin for residents living in tower blocks surrounded by scaffolding for double its original project timeframe.

The two towers at Sterte Court in Poole have been the centre of mishaps and delays since January last year when work started on the removal of non-compliant cladding in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017.

Extensive work to replace the cladding had previously been completed in 2015, but had to be removed when it was revealed to be substandard.

While residents in the council-owned buildings were told last year the remediation work would take 40 weeks – it has instead lasted close to 80, as BCP Council admits they will likely continue at least into late September due to material shortages.

Bournemouth Echo: Sterte Court in Poole after the original cladding work, later found to be substandardSterte Court in Poole after the original cladding work, later found to be substandard

One elderly resident, who did not wish to be named, said the council have consistently pushed back the completion of works.

She told the Echo: “It’s ridiculous that with all this hot weather we can’t have our windows open because of the scaffolding, when it should have been completed early this year like we were told.

“This is a nice place to live and has been my home for 30-odd years, but the last few have been truly awful.

“It keeps getting pushed back, first they told us June, then July, then August and now September. They keep moving the goalposts and people are fed up with it. Enough is enough.

“We all know the work is important for our safety, but it has been seven years of back and forth building and then removal. We’ve lost two summers because of it.”

Bournemouth Echo: Sterte Court in Poole seen earlier this monthSterte Court in Poole seen earlier this month

A BCP Council spokesperson said: “The completion of works to Sterte Court is taking longer than expected due to delays caused by the national shortage of materials.

“A new target of the end of this September to complete the project has been given to residents, but this is also dependent on the delivery of materials which have not yet arrived on site. These are being chased up regularly to ensure the works finish as soon as possible and we will keep residents updated.

“Throughout the project we have provided a respite area for residents who wanted a break from the building works and we are planning potential neighbourhood improvements to celebrate the end of the works.

“We are grateful to residents for their patience whilst these improvements to the safety of their homes have been in progress.”