A new £3m wing to Bradford University's library is still gathering dust months after it was closed to students for safety reasons.

The beleaguered extension to the J B Priestley library, closed in November, is still sealed off.

Students are becoming increasingly concerned that they will have to cram into inadequate facilities to study as they near their busy exam period.

The new wing has been at the centre of a dispute between the consultants of the project and the contractors, Wates of Leeds.

Construction problems delayed the completion of the extension by a year and it was only opened for use in October.

Weeks later it was closed so the building could be made completely safe after a lightweight infill panel fell from a ceiling.

A university spokesman said: "There has been a lengthy and complicated dispute between the consultants and the contractors involved in this project. The university and its students are naturally frustrated by the delay in resolving the impasse.

"The issues involved are intricate and the university has made every effort and some progress towards helping the other parties resolve their dispute. Until these matters are resolved, we cannot bring the extension into full use. As responsible custodians of public funds, we are not about to take risks while matters of liability remain unresolved.

"For the same reason, we are of course anxious to see a speedy resolution of this dispute so that work can be completed to bring this much-needed extension into everyday use."

Student Oliver Benson, news editor of student magazine Scrapie, said the continued closure was unacceptable.

"We are now starting to get into serious study time and the original library is overcrowded. The older part is full of books with little desk space and the idea of the new wing was to offer lots of desk space for study.''

A spokesman for Wates said that no comment could be made at this stage.

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