A BOSS is appealing for patience as work goes ahead on a problem-dogged Olympic standard water centre.

Alan Laverick, general manager of the Castlegate Quay Trust, responsible for the multi-million pound Stockton project, said: "I would ask people to be patient. It's going to be well worth it, when it's finished.

"We have just been fighting elemental forces,'' he said, explaining delays in the building timescale of the Olympic Water Activities Centre.

It had been hoped that the centre which, won a £1.06m Sports Lottery grant, would be completed by the end of May this year.

Work did not start on the 20-week programme until December 14 last year, soon to halt for a three-week Christmas holiday.

Mr Laverick said: "Then, we had some horrendous bad weather with flooding everywhere.''

The delay is a major setback for the Cleveland Scout Council, which had to switch its water activities day at the centre from this Sunday, to September 17.

Mr Laverick said: "We reckon that the finishing date is going to be about the first week in July."

An international Olympic committee is making a visit to the £3m quayside development in August. The centre is earmarked to host an international canoe event, next month.

"We have been asked to provide rope spaces for about 20 flags," Mr Laverick said.

"Next year the world championships are going to be held on the same course.''

Mr Laverick says the complex will put Stockton on the international map for water sports.

The centre is the vision of businessman Jim Atkinson. It started with the building of a full sized replica of explorer Captain Cook's bark, HMS Endeavour.

It is the trust's hope to develop the riverside between its quay and the Victoria Bridge.