AN end could be in sight to the five-year battle of the bulge fought by residents of Hightown in Rossendale.

But the solution could mean the council breaking its own rules to repair the danger of the wall in Whitewell Bottom.

The 20ft retaining wall was declared unsafe when it developed a bulge five years ago. The wall holds in place gardens leading from houses on the hillside above Whitewell Bottom.

The road next to the wall was blocked off soon after the bulge was noticed and residents have been forced to make a detour and negotiate a hairpin bend to get to their homes.

Since then, a series of solutions have been proposed costing up to £250,000. One idea - of reducing the height of the wall - was ruled out as "highly dangerous". Council officers have been further hampered because no-one knows who owns the wall.

Now they are proposing a radical alternative to the most expensive solution of demolishing and rebuilding the wall. Instead, a second outer wall would be built, tied to the present one by concrete poured into the gap.

The proposal has been advertised and no objections have been received from residents or neighbours.

The council's Engineering and Planning Committee which will take the final decision is being asked to ignore rules which insist on only natural stone being used in countryside areas and to allow the second wall to be built in artificial stone.

Engineers say it would be technically possible to use natural stone but an artificial wall would reduce the possibility of future problems by preventing water seeping into the new structure.

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