COUNCIL workers appear to have proved the kiss of death to a pair of stone pillars flanking a historic kissing gate in a Hyndburn conservation area.

The hapless digger operators knocked down one of the posts on their way into Rhyddings Park, Field Lane, Oswaldtwistle, then demolished the other one on their way out.

And today Hyndburn Council leader Ian Ormerod apologised and gave a personal pledge that repair work would be undertaken as soon as possible.

Phil Singleton has lived in Rhyddings Cottage next to the park since last November and was horrified to return from work one day to find the eight-feet stone pillars at the old entrance to the park had been reduced to stumps.

That was more than two months ago and despite several telephone calls to the council, nothing has been done to re-instate the posts.

"My wife was in when it happened. They had a tractor with a digger on the front, turning into the park, and they knocked one post down as they were going up and the other one when they were coming down," said Mr Singleton.

"I have been on to the council about 10 times or more and I just get passed from pillar to post. I have had no answers, all they say is we have got it in hand. Nothing has been done and it's been about 10 weeks. "People can see right into my cottage now, but it's also a matter of heritage, and it makes it quite dangerous when drivers re turning up to the garages at the back - you can't see what's left of the posts." Dating back to the 1850s, the two posts stood on either side of the gate where courting couples would traditionally meet. The park falls within a Hyndburn conservation area. Albert Wilkinson, honorary chairman of the Hyndburn Local History Society, said the columns had been damaged before, and stone balls that had sat on top of them had never been replaced. He said he would be writing to the council to insist the pillars were replaced.

"The worry is they might be forgotten about so those larger vehicles could get access to the park.

"They should be restored and if necessary repaired because they are quite an important feature. I honestly thought they had been taken down to be repaired, cleaned up and re-erected."

Council leader Ian Ormerod said: "I'm sorry about the damage to the gates adjacent to Rhyddings Cottage, and I can assure you that I'm giving this matter my personal attention and that repair work will be undertaken as speedily as possible."