A date has been set for the official unveiling of a park which has been returned to its former Victorian splendour in a £4.5 million project.

The big freeze this winter caused delays to the work at Roberts Park, Saltaire, forcing the opening date to be pushed back from the Easter weekend.

Project bosses have now revealed that the grand opening will take place on Saturday, May 22.

The scheme has involved the rebuilding of the bandstand and renovation of the Half Moon Pavilion. Flowerbeds are being replanted and shelters restored.

The project has been funded mainly by a £3.2m Heritage Lottery grant.

Simon Hicks, vice chairman of Saltaire Cricket Club, based at the park, has called for visitors to respect the space now that it has been restored.

He said: “We battled away for this and now things are coming to fruition. With all this investment the park deserves some respect.”

He said problems included owners letting their dogs foul the park, reckless bike riding, youths gathering in groups and vandalism.

“It needs a concerted effort on our part to stop it. I’ve been around 12 years and it has got worse.”

He said youths were congregating in the park in the evenings and said there was a group of “about 20 kids running around behaving in a threatening manner” last weekend.

He hoped a new CCTV system would deter trouble makers.

A Bradford Council spokesman said: “The weather has caused significant delays to the refurbishment scheme in Roberts Park but there has been only minor vandalism during the 14 months contractors have been on site.”