Anger and disappointment has followed warnings that Abingdon's first skateboard park - due to have opened this month - is unlikely to be ready until the spring.

Tenders for the park have come in way over budget - believe to be about £50,000 more than expected - and work has yet to start.

More financial help is being sought to ensure the project gets rolling by the spring.

Janet Morgan, the Abingdon Vale district councillor who has been leading the campaign, says tenders have come in higher than expected by a "considerable amount."

She said the problem was that the site, next to the leisure and tennis centre, was on land once used as a tip and the skatepark would need special foundations.

She said: "We are now examining whether we can make some adaptations to the project to bring the cost down and closer to our budget.

"In the meantime we are seeking further financial help should it be needed.

"Young people have invested a lot of effort and expectation into the project because it will provide an amenity for an age group that feels sometimes that its needs are ignored.

"This is a disappointment to us all but the skateboard park is certainly not a dead duck."

Jonathon 'Jonno' Wyborn, 17, launched the campaign nearly four years ago and has been working with the Vale council on the project.

He said: "We're very disappointed and frustrated with the time it is taking " We have put a lot of hard work into the scheme and were looking forward to using it by now.

"Let's hope the financial problems can be solved and the skatepark will be ready by next spring."

The Vale council has put £60,000 into the project.

Wren, the organisation which hands out landfill tax credit grants, pumped in a further £50,000, the Vale Community Safety Partnership added £3,500 and the Abingdon Joint Environmental Trust £2,000 - a total of £115,500.

Abingdon Town Council's finance and general purposes committee has agreed in principal to contribute £5,000 and the full council will be discussing the problems with the project tomorrow night.

Another financial avenue being explored is through the Oxfordshire Youth Forum.