COUNCIL engineers are gambling on the skills of the past to ensure a town's future.

Rossendale Council has been given the government go-ahead to start work on exposing the old granite setts on Bank Street, Rawtenstall's main shopping street.

But councillors have been warned that no-one knows what state the setts are in.

A stretch of old cobbles was exposed before Christmas to see how they had withstood being covered in tarmac.

On the strength of the trial English Heritage has approved the Back to the Future scheme to restore the Victorian look to the street but has told the council it has to trim its original plan.

Councillors wanted to spend £355,000 on the scheme which also includes new street furniture, traffic calming and pavement improvements but have been told to cut back to £278,000. They will decide on Monday which part to scrap.

A report to the Engineering and Planning Committee warns that further economies will have to be made if the old setts are not in as good condition as first thought.

The hope is to cobble the whole street from Newchurch Road to St Mary's Way but English Heritage has agreed that if necessary it can stop at Kay Street, two-thirds along.

The committee has been warned of the worst scenario. The report points out: "If the road surface is removed first and the proportions require such a great amount of new setts that the scheme becomes uneconomic, then Rossendale Council would have to pay for a new hot rolled asphalt surface on Bank Street, having achieved nothing."

The council hopes to start work in April. Shopkeepers have been promised a timetable so they can plan for inevitable disruption.

English Heritage has agreed the work can be carried out by the council workforce.

It has told the council it is satisfied its contract represents value for money and is impressed with similar work carried out by the council in Haslingden.

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