Two lawyers familiar with the proceedings said Inocente Orlando Montano told a Spanish National Court judge on Monday that no mention of plans to assassinate the priests was made during a November 15 1989 meeting he attended.

Father Ignacio Ellacuria and five other Jesuit priests were killed the next day along with their housekeeper and her daughter.

Fr Ellacuria was mediating talks at the time to end the Salvadoran civil war.

The United States extradited Montano to Spain last week to face charges in the deaths of the five priests who were Spanish citizens.

He was El Salvador’s vice minister for public security during the 1980s.

The £6m project will instead be finished next year as the BBC reports human remains, archaeology and delays in a limestone delivery from France are being blamed for the delay.

While local traders have said the work on the outside of the building that was meant to be completed by September, has put off visitors coming by coach, the Cathedral is still encouraging people to attend.

On the Gloucester Cathedral website it states: “This year is an exciting one in Gloucester Cathedral’s history as we embark on a major £6.3 million project, Pilgrim, which will transform the car park into a beautiful public space, fully restore the 15th century Lady Chapel and turn the Cathedral into a ‘greener’, more accessible place for everyone.

“Until spring 2018, a visit to the Cathedral will look and feel a little different both inside and out. As building work takes place, the doors will be kept open but access to parts of the building will be restricted at different times to allow work to continue and to keep our visitors safe.”

Last month the team working on the Cathedral promised that it would be “done and dusted” by 3rd December.

It has since been announced the work has been halted over Christmas and will not restart until January.

The average cost of a train ticket in Britain will rise by 3.4 per cent on 2nd January, which will see a 12-month season ticket from Brighton to London increased by nearly £150.

Liam Johnston, a railway chaplain and chief executive of the Railway’s Mission told Premier it is wrong for railway staff to be blamed for fare increases.

Speaking during Premier’s News Hour, he said: “Everything is out of their control.

“They’re just there to ensure that people embark and disembark safely from the trains and yet they’re the ones that bear the brunt of it.”

The Rail Delivery Group insists only 3 pence in every pound spent by rail travelers ends up as profit.

Johnston said he can understand why people will feel frustrated by it becoming more expensive to travel.

He said: “We do understand that these times where there is less money in people’s pockets, there is a lot of financial pressure, which creates uncertainties and anxieties in people’s lives.”

However, he called for Christians to be praying for railway staff who are simply “just doing their jobs”.

Johnston went on to say: “We need to take on a responsibility for praying for all of the people who are front-line – not just on the railways, but whether it’s the police or shop workers or anybody.

“We need to pray for these people who have to deal with the frustration that other people face and will take out on them.”

Meanwhile, the latest annual increase in Britain’s…