Council workmen who slapped asphalt on a ‘cobbled’ Keighley street have come under fire.

Furious mum-of-three, Carole Oksuz, said she arrived home from work one day to find a large section of the stone setts in Cliffe Terrace had been surfaced – and badly.

“The council should be ashamed of itself – it is an absolute disgrace,” said Mrs Oksuz, who has lived in the Spring Bank street for 19 years.

“If they’d done this in Haworth Main Street, there would be an outcry, “Cliffe Terrace is one of the few streets left in the town with traditional ‘cobbles’.

“The council has totally wasted taxpayers’ money by horrendously patching the road in a way that is totally out of character for the street. And where it has been surfaced, it’s an inch or two higher and is already crumbling away.”

Mrs Oksuz, a driver with motor parts and equipment distributor Andrew Page Ltd, added: “The weather has taken its toll over the years and, yes, some were broken, but not to a serious extent.”

But Bradford Council’s principal highways engineer, Keith Escritt, defended the work, which he said had been carried out to make the surface safe following complaints from residents.

“Extensive replacement of stone setts in roads is very expensive and cannot be justified within existing budget constraints without redirecting limited resources from other vital work,” he added.

“Where there is serious damage, engineers have to come up with practical solutions to repair and maintain the highway, bearing in mind the limited funds available.

“If funding becomes available in the future, we will be able to replace the setts and restore the original condition of the road.”