THE troubled restoration of the Flying Scotman has hit further problems, forcing the cancellation of plans to use the locomotive to pull the Olympic Flame from York to Thirsk.

The National Railway Museum in York said the iconic loco would be replaced for the event on June 20 by 46115 Scots Guardsman, one of only two remaining LMS Royal Scot Class locomotives, which featured in the 1936 film Night Mail.

The restoration, which began in January 2006, was originally anticipated to take 18 to 24 months and cost £750,000.

The last estimated bill for the project was £2.6 million, with the latest remedial work set to push costs even higher.