COUNCIL bosses have won a seven-year battle with ramblers over the route of a footpath.

Government appointed inspectors have decided that the path through the grounds of the Charles Turner Paper Mill in Belmont must closed.

Blackburn with Darwen Council and the firm had spent £14,500 creating a new footpath skirting the perimeter of the mill.

But ramblers and residents said the new path was much harder to walk.

The council went to court three times in a bid to get the old path shut, but decided to call in a Government inspector after fierce opposition from local people.

A three-day hearing was held in Blackburn Town Hall in February when the company claimed that to maintain the existing footpath would cost too much, while the council claimed it was not safe.

Local walkers said the new path was steep, more muddy and harder to use.

Inspector Mr Tipping has now said the path should follow the new route.

In his report he said site visits had given him an overall picture of the mill's operations and reinforced the concerns of the applicant, the Council and the Health and Safety Executive about safety risks.

"Areas out of bounds to Charles Turner's own employees on safety grounds would be open to the public, members of which have sometimes in the past had little regard for their own safety," he added.

Donna Hall, executive director of corporate resources said: "A public inquiry into the proposed diversion of the footpath was held by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whose inspector considered all submissions from the council, Charles Turner and the many people opposed to the diversion before reaching his decision.The effect of the decision is that the footpath which previously passed through Charles Turner's premises in Belmont has been diverted to create a continuous route between the mill access road to adjoin the existing footpath network.

"We appreciate all the arguments, but the main issues considered by the authority were the health and safety risks. Walkers using the old footpath would have been in direct contact with potentially dangerous industrial plant and materials and for that reason we supported the diversion along a safer route. The mill is often very busy and its activities constitute a material risk to public safety."

None of the opponents could be contacted for comment. Coun Jean Rigby, a local councillor who opposed the scheme, was also unavailable to comment. At the time of inquiry she said: "The new path is totally unsuitable. It is too steep for many people to use and much longer."

Nobody at the mill was available to comment.