Scaffolding has finally been removed from Aberdeen Town House after an 18-month delay to repairs.

The revamp of the 145-year-old building was originally expected to cost £1.2m but last year STV News revealed the cost had spiralled to at least £3.5m.

The total budget for the works was increased to £4.2m, although the final cost has not yet been announced.

The scaffolding was finally removed from the town house over the weekend.

An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that the restoration of the roof of the town house is now complete.

"The scaffolding erected on Union Street came down over the weekend as the repairs came to a close."

She continued: "Work started on the roof in August 2014 and in the past two years the project has revealed many ornate and historic features which are unique to the UK.

"As the work progressed the scope was widened to account for additional structural issues which were previously not evident in initial assessments. This led to the schedule and budget being extended.

"This included the exposure of rotten wood in the building's four towers, found underneath the slates and lead last summer, which required to be replaced."

She added: "We made a commitment to bring this important civic building back to life and are delighted the project has now come to a close with fantastic results.

"The final cost of the project is still to be agreed."

Councillors were reportedly warned in 2015 that the cost of repairs to the A-listed building were expected to rise but the information was not made public.

It led opposition politicians to accuse the Labour-led administration of "secrecy" over the "shambolic" project.

Aberdeen City Council finance convener Willie Young said the full extent of the work only became clear after the restoration began.

Repairs were ordered after lead fell from the roof of the town house and landed on the pavement at the corner of Castle Street and Broad Street.

The works included the replacement of slates and rotten woodwork, as well as ironwork and lead detailing.