PRESSURE is growing for improvements to a section of canal towpath which campaigners say is "riddled with ruts and bumps".

Much of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal towpath through the district has undergone upgrades and resurfacing work in recent years, as part of a drive to encourage more cycling and walking.

But a stretch between Silsden and Kildwick remains untouched.

Now councillors on both sides of the North and West Yorkshire border, which the section of waterway straddles, are calling for action.

Green Party colleagues Caroline Whitaker – who represents Craven ward on Bradford Council – and Andy Brown, an Airedale division councillor on North Yorkshire County Council, are pushing for Government funding to carry out the necessary work.

Cllr Whitaker said: "Silsden residents are having to put up with an uneven surface that is riddled with ruts and bumps and gets even worse when it is waterlogged in winter. This is just not acceptable."

Cllr Brown says the condition of the towpath deteriorates as soon as you pass Kildwick, heading east.

"It gets increasingly overgrown and difficult to walk on," he said.

"Neither walkers nor cyclists can use the path with confidence. It is necessary to constantly look down to avoid obstacles, when there is so much beauty to be seen if you are able to raise your head and look around.

"The path along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal is heavily used by local people for fitness and enjoyment. It is possible to walk on a safe track all the way from Gargrave to Leeds, apart from this one short stretch where it remains a mess."

The councillors say finance was in place at Bradford Council for the work to go ahead, but an application by North Yorkshire County Council for funding from central government was rejected – which made the joint scheme "unworkable". As a consequence, Bradford Council had reallocated its money to another part of the towpath, they added.

Keighley Conservative MP Robbie Moore says he shares the desire to see the work take place, and that he has raised the funding issue with the relevant Government department.

"This is a crucial project and it is therefore deeply concerning to see that funding has not been allocated," he added.

"I have raised this urgently to understand why funding has not been ringfenced, and I will keep pushing to ensure this is resolved as soon as possible."