Villagers were astonished when Council workmen turned up to surface a road – just five days before it was due to be dug up by water contractors.

And even when the Bradford Council highways’ team was told by perplexed residents about the pending water works, it went ahead with the surfacing.

“It’s just absolutely unbelievable – especially in these tough times when the authority is supposed to be making savings,” said one householder, who asked not to be named.

She added that as the workers started the resurfacing, in parts of Dimples Lane and Hawthorne Way at East Morton, they covered preparatory markings put down by Yorkshire Water.

Residents had received letters from contractor H20 Water Services Ltd warning that it would be carrying out work from Monday and asking people to try to keep the road clear of vehicles. They appeared as scheduled to lay a new mains pipe along Dimples Lane and Hawthorne Way.

A Yorkshire Water spokesman said: “As part of this work, as with any taking place in a public highway, we liaised with the Council’s highways department, which granted us the necessary permissions and approved our timescale.”

  • Read the full story in Thursday's T&A