Residents on a Woodford Green housing estate will have to endure at least another month of noise and disturbance as engineering works overrun.

A multi-million pound project to upgrade the central heating in the Orchard Estate, off Broadmead Road, started in September and was due to be completed in the new year, according to the deputy leader of Redbridge Council, Cllr Ian Bond.

But residents, who have put up with cancelled appointments by contractors and drilling noise, are likely to have to wait until next month for work to be completed and August for scaffolding to come down, Cllr Bond said.

The project hit a further setback when £11,600 of equipment was stolen from builders last week.

John Gallagher, 50, of the estate’s Liston Way block, expected engineers to install cladding on the outside of his flat on Friday, but the appointment was cancelled without him being told.

He said: “My heating system was installed in April but it is now June and it has still not been fully completed.”

The £10million project by the council and Carillion Energy Service has promised residents warmer homes for longer in winter and savings on their energy bills.

Bob Butterfield, also of Liston Way, said water to his home has been hotter since new piping was installed in his flat.

But he is still waiting for a computer screen to be installed to monitor his gas usage and for the cladding to go up.

He added: “We’re still getting a lot of disruption.

“We’re getting a lot of missed appointments and noise.

“I think they’re looking at September [to finish].”

Cllr Bond, a Roding ward councillor, said: “Given the amount of work involved, it was always going to be heroic to do it in such a short time scale.”

He said the costs incurred by delays will be met by Carillion.

He added: “The concern is from residents’ point of view because of the uncertainty.”

Redbridge Council did not respond to any inquiries from the Recorder.