A statue celebrating an Olympic hero - which has taken 14 years to complete - hit another snag when the council refused to let villagers dig a hole to install it.

Marlow Bottom Residents Association thought they were finally approaching the finish line on a metal sculpture dedicated to resident Sir Steve Redgrave, which has been dogged with problems over permission.

But as villagers took their shovels to begin digging a hole at the gateway to the village, the county council told them it would have to be done by its contractor - adding £1000 to the project.

Reisdents Association Chairman Peter Borrows said: "We were about to start when we were told that they couldn’t have residents digging holes and had to be done by their contractors.

"We were given a licence [to install the statue] and innocently assumed it would be ok. Nothing was mentioned to us, we only called them out of courtesy, but now it has cost us about £1000.

"We have had to put in three planning applications, we needed a licence and now had to pay this.

"If we had realised the total amount it would cost before we embarked we would have probably done something different."

Mr Borrows said the ill-fated project to honour Marlow Bottom’s most famous son has now cost over £6000, and the group were forced to dip into precious reserves.

He also thanked the parish council for an £800 donation to get the job finished, after years of problems including a row over permission from the International Olympic Commission.

Transport for Buckinghamshire insists any work must be carried out within its guidelines.

However, though the team used a supplier from the 'approved' council list, TfB says it still should have been informed before it took place.

Spokesman Dan Elworthy said: "The Parish Council are aware of the legal requirement of the highway authority to ensure any work carried out on highway land is carried out by an insured and qualified contractor, to comply with national licensing requirements.

"The authority must also be informed of and approve any work.

"Transport for Buckinghamshire is not currently aware of who has carried out the work so far, and is waiting for an application for a street work licence."

With the foundations now in place, Mr Borrows said the unveiling ceremony is still on track for Sunday, May 3.