Fears have been raised that fragments of Otley’s past are being obliterated by the creation of a new access road.

Resident John Hardcastle says initial digging for the road, which will run from Gallows Hill to the former Garnett mill site, has already brought up smashed pieces of old bottles, plates and earthenware.

Mr Hardcastle remembers people digging by hand in the area, believed to be an old Victorian or Edwardian tip, back in the 1980s.

He said: “There was a bit of a fad for a while with people going along and digging up old bottles with marbles in, things like that.

“But with what they’re doing now with the mechanical diggers, they’re bringing up old bottles and plates and earthenware containers, all scattered about and broken, and taking them away.

“When the new link road to the new houses at Garnett’s is built they’ll just bulldoze over all this, which seems a shame and I think people should know about it.”