CAMPAIGNERS living near Darwen's M65 service station could finally clinch victory in their crusade to get a footpath closed.

The group of residents in Redvers Road had almost given up on their fight to close the path, which they say has become a thoroughfare for teenagers using the new McDonald's at night.

But the possibility of success is once more in their grasp, as one of the options before Blackburn with Darwen Council's planning committee tonight will be permanent closure of the route.

Council officers will present a full report on the situation at tonight's meeting, after councillors demanded more information on why a solution had not been found.

Residents have demanded the closure of the path since late last year, when an angry public meeting was held and a petition sent to the council.

The officers' report gives two possible options for the future of the route, one of which is to allow developers to surface the path in its present location and ask police to be vigilant to prevent anti-social behaviour.

The other option, which the residents have fought for, is to get rid of the new path and fence off the area, leaving people who want to access the services to use the existing unsurfaced path along a longer route.

The report states the developers have no obligation to provide an alternative path and the council has no power to force them to create a different route. It recommends the councillors take the "far from desirable" step of keeping the footpath, rather than getting rid of it, but residents hope councillors will vote it down.

Stuart Chelton, who organised the original meeting for residents in Redvers Road, said the path being closed would be "the jackpot".

He added: "I would say 99 per cent of people would like it closed and I hope the council takes that decision.

"We get teenagers wandering down here at all hours of day and night, making noise and dropping litter.

"Many of the elderly residents are very intimidated.

"We have almost given up while waiting for decisions to be made, because we are not sure the council will actually do anything.

"But if they did, that would be great."