EXCITEMENT surrounding the Tour de France has helped Silsden pensioners with a campaign to repair their potholed road.

A decorated bike was raffled to raise cash to fill in holes on unadopted Spencer Avenue.

Ernest Dodding, one of the residents, raised £144 for theresidents' ongoing campaign.

Mr Dodding had approached Bradford Council to ask whether any members of the public had dumped unwanted bikes at the waste tip in Royd Ings Avenue, Keighley.

He then painted the bike in the colours of the Tour de France riders, and went around Silsden selling tickets.

He said: “The bike wasn’t rideable but it looked alright. I painted it and taped the frame in yellow, and red white and blue.”

Mr Dodding pulled the winning ticket last week, and the original winner Mr Bentley (no first name) gave the bike back so it could be raffled again.

The second winner was Carolyn Edgar.

Residents of Spencer Avenue embarked on a long-term campaign last year to raise money to cover the cost of making-up the road.

Bradford Council gave £1,000 to repair the biggest hole, but did not have enough money to cover the full cost of surfacing the road so it could be adopted.