Silsden councillors have clashed over which of the town centre’s pedestrian crossings should receive a £35,000 upgrade.

Andrew Mallinson and Adrian Naylor believe crossings at separate ends of Kirkgate would most benefit from safety improvements.

Keighley Area Committee will tomorrow night be asked to earmark £35,000 from its traffic management budget for one of the existing zebra crossings.

The money would either improve, move or upgrade a crossing, possibly turning it into a traffic light-controlled "puffin" crossing.

District councillor Andrew Mallinson said he had recommended that the crossing outside Silsden Town Hall receive the £35,000 funding.

Such improvements would link-in with a proposed £300,000 refurbishment of Silsden Town Hall and a new ramp for disabled access to the building.

Coun Mallinson's proposal is opposed by Adrian Naylor, a district and town councillor, who believes the £35,000 should be spent improving a crossing at the other end of Kirkgate.

He said the crossing point was particularly dangerous because it was next to the staggered crossroads of Kirkgate, Howden Road and Elliott Street.

He said: "The other problem is the proximity to the bridge over the canal. Anyone coming over the bridge from Keighley is blind to the junction."

Coun Naylor said the crossing was a major route for parents walking children to Aire View Infants School, adding: "We're about to see an increasing number of children at the school."

Couns Mallinson and Naylor agree that both crossings would benefit from improvements, and with other town councillors have repeatedly called for safety work following road accidents at various points on Kirkgate.