It is hoped a town's long-awaited athletics track could finally open next month.

The latest pictures of the new facility at the Three Hills Sport Park in Folkestone show work to lay the foundations of the running surface have been completed.

It is understood the next stage of construction will involve the spraying on of the top surface, and that if weather conditions remain favourable then the track could open in November.

Work on the latest addition to the Three Hills complex had to be halted last year over concerns about a water course running below the site.

The depth of the culvert carrying the Pent Stream under the ground forced construction to cease, but a solution was eventually found to allow work to begin again.

It had been hoped the facility would have opened in autumn 2021, but complications with the site have left the project significantly delayed.

Earlier this year we reported an estimated July opening, but again the date came and went without completion of the work.

Nicholas Shaw, centre manager at Three Hills, said: "We are aiming to have the track surface works completed at the end of this month, so weather permitting we would be hopeful for the track to be open in November."

Currently athletes in Folkestone have to travel 25 minutes by car to reach similar facilities, at either Ashford's Julie Rose Stadium or at the Canterbury Academy.

The new facility at the Cheriton Road sports ground, which is backed by the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust, will be home to Folkestone Running Club.

It has been built on the lowest portion of the site, which previously accommodated a pair of grass football pitches used for local league matches.

Dan Hulme, chief executive of the Sports Trust which is responsible for Three Hills, said: "It will be wonderful asset.

"It has taken such a long time to get there, but then often these things are sadly."