ROTTEN floorboards have been blamed for a two-month delay on the re-opening of Swindon Arts Centre.

The centre was due to re-open on November 11 and 15,000 programmes have already been printed carrying details of a packed winter programme.

But now bookings like comedian Lee Mack, poet Pam Ayres and the Christmas panto Aladdin will have to be postponed or cancelled.

And the Arts Centre will have to withdraw the programmes, thousands of which have been printed and circulated at a cost of hundreds of pounds.

Swindon Services started work on the £665,000 Arts Centre revamp at the end of May.

The renovation includes a glass atrium entrance area, a new ticket office, disabled toilets and an improved bar area.

Swindon Council head architect Nick Newland explained why the delayed opening has been announced so late in the day.

He said: "We did a lot of research before we started but we weren't able to check everything out because they were still using the building.

"When we started uncovering the floors, we encountered a lot of problems we weren't expecting to find."

When construction began on the Victorian Arts Centre he said it became clear many of the floor joists were rotten and would have to be removed.

This in turn led to knock-on problems such as the demolition of a supporting wall and the replacement of several support beams in the ceiling.

He said these delays led to the project missing its allotted factory production slot with glazing company Danem windows.

The glass, needed for the covered atrium and front doors, will now not be delivered until mid-December.

Mr Newland said: "Things go wrong on construction sites and this has been a particularly difficult job because of the age and condition of the building."

He said it only became clear on Tuesday that the production slot had been missed.

Arts centre spokeswoman Jill Tomalin said: "We have explored every option in an attempt to open earlier but this has not been possible due to safety concerns."

Amateur groups set to perform shows in November and December are likely to be hardest hit by the delayed opening.

The Western Players were to present the farce Cash on Delivery, Stages Struck were due to perform the pantomime Aladdin and the Old Town Theatre Company were presenting a Christmas Carol.

All now must find an alternative venue or else re-schedule for the New Year. Big name comic Lee Mack features on the front cover of the new Arts Centre programme.

But the delayed opening means his visit to Swindon may have to be scrapped.

In total 17 events will be affected by the delays, including cinema nights, live music and a philosophy seminar.

Arts Centre manager Clarry Bean said: "I am doing my best to reschedule events. We are hugely disappointed that we are having to let people down so late in the day, after we have just released a programme of events.

"In particular, I have apologised to the amateur groups who were at the heart of the schedule."

He said he has been able to re-schedule the visit of poet Pam Ayres.