Edinburgh City Council is to be given extra time to buy land for its ill-fated trams project.

The Scottish Government, which originally opposed the scheme, has laid two orders before the Scottish Parliament extending the time limits for the council to make compulsory purchase orders.

The original acts of Parliament authorising the tram project, passed in 2006, gave the council five years to purchase the land necessary to build the link that runs from Edinburgh Airport to Leith.

But contractural disputes have held up building work to such an extent that the line will be finished far later than its original completion date of summer this year.

Ministers have now granted extensions of five years and ten years to cover the two sections of the proposed tram network following an application by the council.

Transport minister Keith Brown said the decision had been taken to spare Scottish taxpayers even greater potential expense.

He said: "The Scottish Government's position on Edinburgh trams is clear. We opposed the project, but in June 2007 the Scottish Parliament voted that we provide funding to a maximum of £500m.

"We want to ensure that nothing stands in the way of delivering trams for the benefit of the people of Edinburgh. Given the delays caused by the current contractual dispute not extending these powers of land acquisition would seriously compromise the council's ability to complete the project.

"The Scottish Government is simply not prepared to place the people of Edinburgh and the public purse in such a position."