A FORMER secret agent declared 'mission accomplished' today after a fence restricting her walk to the shops was taken down.

Sigrid Green, 82, of Richmond Terrace, celebrated victory after the disruptive barrier was removed and the short-cut between her home and Olive Lane was restored after being in use for more than 50 years.

Sigrid, who worked as a special agent in World War Two spending time in Norway, said: I'm so happy about it and it really is a case of mission accomplished. "I took my dog Barney for a walk and he was elated too. We were both so happy to be walking down there."

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council put up the fence at the beginning of June which blocked the short-cut and stopped children climbing on a nearby wall.

Sigrid said: "My health's failing and the short-cut means that the newsagents is only a couple of hundred yards away.

"When it was blocked it was too far to walk and it was a real struggle, meaning that I couldn't get out as much.

"I'm just glad that everything's sorted out and I'm sure people on the street will be happy with the results."

Sigrid was born and brought up in a bilingual household in the Bold Venture Park area. She left home in 1942 to join the RAF after training as a wireless operator. Her parents and brothers were unaware of their her role in the war. Later she worked as an administrator for Queen's Park Hospital .

She said: "It means a lot to me that we have won this battle and I wasn't going to stop until it had been won."

Adam Scott, council director of regeneration, housing and neighbourhoods, said: "Mrs Green was clearly aggreived by the restriction of her preferred route and after listening to her comments we looked again at the closure of the path.

"In the interest of Mrs Green's health and safety we repositioned the fence and a long term solution is presently being sought.

"We must stress however, that the council's position remains unchanged on the matter of the route Mrs Green takes, in that it is not a formal right of way and no procedure to make it such has been put in place."