High hopes that the Stanmore eruv would be completed in record time have been dashed and it is now not expected to be operational until at least late July.

Work started on the eruv in early May and was expected to finish by the end of the month. An eruv committee spokesman attributed the delay to "the snags that are common to many construction projects.

"The good news," he added, "is that these have been overcome and we are now moving ahead, with a completion date at the end of June". A further four weeks was required for essential inspection and testing before the eruv would be ready for use.