A RIBBLE Valley councillor has been left feeling ‘angry’ after Billington’s roads were left a ‘mess’ after a gas pipe installation.

Billington saw extended roadworks throughout the summer as new gas pipes were installed throughout the village.

Following the works, Councillor Ged Mirfin has been left extremely unhappy about the state of Whalley Road and the pavements.

“It’s a mess, very uneven. It just looks awful, to be honest with you. It doesn’t blend in very well and they left it in a very untidy state,” Coun Mirfin said.

The condition of a third of a mile stretch through Billington hasn’t just angered the councillor but also local residents.

“We’ve had a lot of complaints from local residents about the state of the roads. They feel, like myself that a not very good job has been done and it leaves a lot to be desired,” he said.

“Several of my residents are saying this is making it very difficult to sell their house because first impressions count. It doesn’t look very pleasing. As well as looking displeasing, come the winter months the pavement could also become a safety hazard.

“Ultimately it will be a safety issue, some of these rectification works are raised and people push wheelchairs along here, young children ride their bikes and scooters along and it is uneven.

“When the surface becomes wet or frosty, I have real concerns about what will happen,” Coun Mirfin said.

The issue has now been reported to County Coun Alan Schofield who is taking it up at county hall and Coun Mirfin hopes the issue can be resolved. “I’m just very angry we’ve been left in this state by the utilities.

“Billington deserves better,” he said.

“We can sit and accept this situation or we can complain loudly and hope someone does something about it.”

Oliver Starkey, Lancashire County Council's highways manager for Ribble Valley, said: “We've inspected the pavement and are happy that it has been returned to a satisfactory condition following the gas repair work.

“We will not be asking the contractor to carry out any further repairs to the surface.

“However, they have agreed to thoroughly clean the area to remove dirt and debris from the surface.”