ENFORCEMENT action is being taken against a controversial barrier intended to protect Silsden town centre from flooding.

Bradford Council enforcement notices have been stuck to steelwork on the half-built barrier on one bank of Silsden Beck.

But the notices have sparked new confusion over who is to blame for the debacle and who should find a solution.

District councillor Andrew Mallinson says Silsden Town Council should take responsibility.

He says they are the “guardians” of the town and made the initial contribution to the project.

But town council chairman Chris Atkinson insists Bradford Council should take responsibility because it owns the land the barrier stands on.

And, he adds, it provided funding for the barrier.

Silsden Environmental Action Group, which was heavily involved in the project and carried out clean-ups on the beck, has disbanded.

The action group had initially consulted the Environment Agency, which assessed the plans and decided it would have no detrimental impact on local flood risk or environmental habitat.

An Environmental Agency spokesman said its consenting powers were strictly limited to consideration of flood risk and the water environment, and other bodies were responsible for issues such as design, land ownership and planning permission.

The project was initially led by Silsden Environmental Action Group and town councillors.

Volunteers were carrying out construction work, but it stalled last year.

Val Carroll, of North Street, Silsden, led protests against the project.

She described the girders as an “abominable structure”.

In March this year Bradford Council said the barrier did not have planning consent and was in a conservation area.

Although legal action was authorised to have the barrier removed, officers were given time to try to negotiate a solution.

Cllr Mallinson, who represents Craven ward on Bradford Council, said the enforcement action was recently approved by the council’s Keighley and Shipley area planning panel.

He said: “A lot of effort went into getting the barrier built to its current state.

“But nothing has been done since and no one will accept responsibility for it.

“The town council needs to make a decision on what they want to do with the barrier.

“They are the guardians of Silsden, being the elected body for the town.

“If they can’t make the barrier look in keeping with the rest of the area, then it should be removed.”

Cllr Atkinson, the Silsden mayor, said Bradford should actually serve the enforcement notice against itself.

He said: “They own Main Street, St John’s Street and the ford over the beck, and they paid for the barrier.

“It’s not a town council thing.

“We only paid for a licence to clean the beck.

“The people on Silsden Environmental Action Group have moved away, so there isn’t a group anymore.”