Campaigners are celebrating victory now that a village war memorial has become a protected historic monument.

Greengates residents feared the memorial on the corner of New Line and Harrogate Road was in danger of being moved when highways bosses began talks last year about vital improvements at the busy junction.

Worried villagers contacted the Friends of War Memorials charity, which took up the fight to save the 77-year-old sculpture and applied to the Government for listed status, backed by English Heritage.

Now they have heard their application has been successful.

Ward councillor Ann Ozolins (Idle, Lib Dem) said: "It's great news. I'm a believer that we should always remember those who gave their lives for our country and I'm just delighted."

Greengates pensioner John Morris, 84, who was shot twice during the Second World War while serving in Italy, was thrilled. He said: "The memorial means a lot to me. In my view every war memorial should be automatically listed as a historic monument and be protected."

The memorial was created by sculptor Louis Roslyn who also made the one in Calverley, which already had Grade II listed status.

In the past, members of the local Royal British Legion twice flagged down cars and persuaded royal occupants to lay impromptu wreaths at the Greengates memorial while on their way to other official engagements.

In 1923 Edward Prince of Wales was waylaid and, five years later, the future King George VI and his wife, the late Queen Mother, were waved down.

The memorial, which carries 80 names from the First World War and 29 from the Second World War, was surrounded by controversy last year when the Council gave the public three options for a new junction at the corner where it stands.

They chose the option that would leave the monument where it was and only give up a small part of its garden. That now has to be approved by the Council's executive so it can be included in the local transport plan to go to the Government in July.

As part of the multi-million-pound road improvement, southbound traffic would flow onto a new link road at the north-east corner of the junction where empty shops owned by the Council would have to be demolished to make way.

A cycle route would also be included in the design as well as pedestrian crossings.