Work on a deteriorating Marlow landmark, which was set for a £20,000 makeover, will be delayed until next year after concerns it could cause chaos for drivers in the town centre.

The Grade II listed obelisk, which sits at the centre of the roundabout at the top of the High Street, was erected in 1822 as a waypoint marker for travelling coaches and has fallen into disrepair in recent years, with whole sections of stone lettering having crumbled and broken away.

The historic structure was set to receive some much-needed TLC following years of campaigning by The Marlow Society, and restoration work was planned for this month.

However Transport for Bucks announced today that the work will be postponed until spring next year after it was feared that it would have a big impact on traffic as the diversion and traffic lights would have been in place 24-hours a day.

Bucks County Council spokesman Richard Wells said: “Initially the works were planned to erect scaffolding in the centre of the roundabout to undertake these specialist works in a safe manner, which would have necessitated temporary traffic management 24-hours a day throughout the course of the works.

“As the start date approached practical concerns were raised about this approach and other logistical alternatives are now being explored in order to keep disruption to a minimum, particularly during the busy Christmas period.”

Mark Shaw, deputy leader and cabinet member for transportation supported the decision to postpone the work, saying: “TfB remains dedicated to completing the restoration of the obelisk in the shortest time possible and with the least disruption to the local area, which means it is now necessary to rethink the planning of the restoration and traffic management.

“It is hoped a new date will be set for Spring 2018.”