Yorkshire Water and contractors MMB have reluctantly announced a new schedule for work on the Spen Valley Greenway, despite every possible effort being made to stick to the original deadlines.

The company said that the worst winter in decades has made its mark on Spenborough, with snow and ice holding the north in its grip for more than two months. The team has decided postponing the finish date is a better option than rushing towards completion and putting overall quality at risk.

Project manager James Robson said:

"We would like to apologise for the delay to the local community who we know want to see the Greenway restored and back open as soon as possible."

"We would assure them we share that wish and we are doing everything we can to have the sewer transfer pipe installed and the Greenway back to its former glory."

Yorkshire Water said that crews had worked hard to stay on track since work started on the sewer transfer pipe in early 2009 and that, even as recently as late January and early February, it seemed possible that they would be able to make up the time lost to the heavy snow and frost.

However, with conditions failing to improve in the latter half of February, project leaders were worried rushing reinstatement work have a detrimental impact on the overall standard of the finished product and they have now said it may be June before they hand the cycle way back to Greenway guardians, Sustrans.

"We don't want to do a rush job and leave the cycle path in a mess; we want to do the best job possible - but that means we may be around for longer than we anticipated, largely because of the severe weather in December, January and February. This hasn't been an easy decision but we'd much rather get it right first time," said Mr Robson.

The eight-mile pipeline is part of a multi-million pound investment which will help improve the quality of water in the rivers Spen and Calder to a standard not seen since before the Industrial Revolution a century ago.

Sections of the Greenway which have already been completed will be available for public use, with diversions around other sections which are closed allowing cyclists an alternative until the reinstatement is complete. The diversions will also remain once the Greenway is complete, adding mileage to the local cycle route network, including the rejuvenated Heckmondwike Cutting - which has been given a new lease of life after 20 years of neglect when it became a hot-spot for fly-tipping - and the Lower Spen Trail, which takes walkers and cyclists through a local nature reserve.