ROAD re-surfacing work in Keighley left cars, homes and other property stained and damaged by bitumen and chippings, according to local residents.

Abdul Ghafoor, of Westview Avenue, said the consistency of the surfacing material was so runny that it failed to set properly.

He said the damage had affected many people living in Westview Avenue and nearby Westview Grove, after the new surfacing was applied last Monday. (June 9)

Mr Ghafoor, 64, who is a retired lorry driver, said: "They must have used the wrong type of material.

"Instead of just sticking to the ground its instead ended up on people's shoes, which means it's been walked into everyone's houses.

"It's on carpets, cars, in people's yards and even on clothes.

"At first we just thought 'give it a day' and it'll dry, but that didn't happen. After a friend of mine complained they sent someone out to put sand down, and that has made things better."

Mr Ghafoor's son Zahir Abbas, 31, who lives at the same address, said the bitumen had become stuck to his BMW 320 car, and was proving impossible to remove.

"It was a very clean car before," he added. "Now this stuff is everywhere. It's on the wheels, the vents, the wheel arches, on the front bumper.

"They've made a real mess, and I'm not too happy about it.

"I took the car down to the garage on Saturday to get it cleaned, but the marks won't come off. We've used acid, TFR cleaner – everything in the book."

A Bradford Council traffic and highways spokesman responded: "We've been in contact with residents and ward councillors about this issue, and apologise for the problems residents have experienced as a result of these works.

"There has been a problem with the material used to resurface this road, which has meant some chippings were not fully adhering to the bitumen leaving the surface loose. These chippings will not damage or reduce the life of tyres. They will come off the rubber, once vehicles are driven onto a normal road surface.

"This problem has never occurred before and could not have been predicted. We've recently dressed road surfaces on 200 sites and not experienced any problems.

"The Westview Avenue site has been dusted to calm the surface, which is standard practice, and the contractor is monitoring this daily. It appears to have improved. They are also working to amicably resolve complaints from residents and businesses."