Problem-plagued renovation work on a memorial boating lake in Sudbury has finally been completed.

East Anglian Daily Times: There were issues with the new concrete within weeks after the first work was done last summer Picture: STUART POOLEThere were issues with the new concrete within weeks after the first work was done last summer Picture: STUART POOLE (Image: Stuart Poole)

Mill Acre lake will formally re-open next month following a restoration project that has been dogged by delays since first launched by Sudbury Town Council last July.

The project involved concreting the base to create a smooth surface to prevent algae from settling there, and in turn helping to keep it clean.

The work was done but cracks appeared in the concrete just weeks after completion and by September it had to be scrapped.

New work could then not begin until spring, as concrete could not be laid in the damp conditions of winter.

East Anglian Daily Times: The renovation scheme was dogged with problems last summer Picture: STUART POOLEThe renovation scheme was dogged with problems last summer Picture: STUART POOLE (Image: Stuart Poole)

However a contractor appointed to do the work could not start on the project until the end of May.

The council said it was not prepared to wait that long, so a replacement had to be found.

Deputy town clerk Jodie Budd, who oversaw the project, said local builder Matt Sinclair began work at the end of April and has now completed the project.

"It has been a long time coming," she said.

East Anglian Daily Times: Sudbury boating lake in the 1970s shortly after it was built in memory of the Green familySudbury boating lake in the 1970s shortly after it was built in memory of the Green family (Image: Archant)

"The final cost will be £11,000, which is within budget, and the work has included improvements to the outside of the lake area and coping stones."

Ms Budd said the completion of the work would be marked with a formal opening ceremony in June, although a date had still to be fixed.

The lake, which was once a top attraction for youngsters and hosted an annual regatta for model boats, was last renovated in 1999 when £30,000 was spent on repairs.

It was created as a memorial to Roger and Margaret Green and their sons, Simon and Ian who were on board a Tupolev-134 which crashed at Rijeka airport in the former Yugoslavia in 1971 when attempting to land in a heavy rainstorm.

Seventy-eight of the 83 people on board - including the Greens - were killed.