THE repair of the Buttercross in Ludlow is taking longer than had been hoped and could run into time trouble.

Ludlow Town Council has been told that the stone needed for the repair is not available and some of it will have to be quarried.

This means that King Street will have to remain closed until the historic butter market had been repair.

It was damaged after being hit by a heavy lorry in the town last month.

Gina Wilding, town clerk, told the council that some of the stone was available but not enough and more stone would have to be quarried.

Because the Buttercross is a listed building there are strict rules about how it can be repaired and the materials that have to be used.

This creates a potential further delay because it is necessary to use lime mortar and this will not dry when it is cold.

With autumn here and winter on the way temperatures are dropping and the mortar will not dry below five degrees centigrade and so the work will have to be done soon