RESIDENTS who have been waiting 40 years for their street to be resurfaced are celebrating after highways bosses agreed to carry out the work.

Residents in Elm Close, Salterforth, have been campaigning for work to be carried out on the street but Lancashire County Council had refused to accept responsibility for the work.

The residents who lived on the street in 1972 clubbed together to pay £300 for the road to be surfaced and adopted.

But the paperwork never made its way to county hall when they took over responsibility for highways in 1974.

The late Richard Hall was one of the first people to move on to the street when the houses were built in 1969, and he led the campaign to get the street adopted in 1972, organising residents payments and the required paperwork.

Richard’s daughter Val, and her husband Rob Mitchell, moved into the same house around 20 years ago.

Rob said: “I had seen the paperwork so I knew we were right and it would get sorted in the end.

“There are only six houses on the street but it is a very nice area ruined by the state of the road, but it is great that work is now going to be done.

“County Councillor David Whipp has been fantastic with the residents, he has kept us updated and has really worked hard to help make sure the road was recognised as being adopted.”

County Councillor David Whipp said: “Residents asked me to help a few years ago as the road began falling apart through lack of maintenance.

“It was only when I produced documents from the former Skipton Rural District Council proving it was adopted that LCC accepted the position.

“I think I’ll be joining the residents in a party to celebrate the end to what must be the longest street surfacing saga ever.”

The road is now due to be resurfaced on September 30.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council confirmed that Elm Close was now an adopted street and would be resurfaced later this month.