THE company building a £22 million relief road in Taunton is refusing to say or doesn't know when it will complete the massively delayed project.

Carillion has missed a number of deadlines for finishing the Northern Inner Distributor Road, which was originally due to open almost two years ago.

Several workers have been busy on the stretch of the mile-long road on and around the disused railway bridge over Station Road in recent weeks.

Carillion, which is contracted by Somerset County Council to build the road between Staplegrove Road's junction with Chip Lane and Priory Avenue, missed its latest estimated finish date of mid-February.

Pushed this week on when it expects the NIDR to be completed and the reasons for failing to meet projection finish dates, a Carillion spokesman told the County Gazette: "I’m afraid this is something you will need to speak to the council about."

County Hall is in dispute with Carillion over the final bill - the company is believed to be demanding several million pounds more than the originally agreed fee, which the council is refusing to pay.

The authority says it is unable to predict an opening date as once Carillion has completed the work, checks and defect fixing will have to be undertaken.

Meanwhile, Barry Havenhand tweeted a photo of a section of the NIDR with the comment: "The only road to have roadworks and temporary traffic lights before it has even been opened."