A NEW road surface in Grassington is proving too smooth a ride for local equestrians who fear a serious accident could be imminent.

That is the view of Grassington woman Susan Midgley after she tried to ride her horse on the state-of-the-art surface, laid as part of traffic calming work just before Easter.

She said her horse's metal shoes could not find any grip on the smooth road. His hind legs went from under him and he almost ended up on his haunches amid the traffic.

"There are many people with horses in this area who have to ride down the road to access bridleways. We now have to get off the horses and slowly walk them down the road. The road is very busy and this is putting the rider and horse at additional risk," she said.

The new surface stretches from below the doctors' surgery in Station Road to beyond the Threshfield side of the river bridge.

Mrs Midgley, of Wood Lane, said riders had to use the road in order to access bridlepaths beyond the bridge. The only two other rides from the Grassington end are through Grass Wood and around Yarnbury.

There is a single-track bridlepath from Grassington to the bridge, but it can only be ridden one way because of its narrowness and the fact the gate only opens in one direction.

Mrs Midgley, a welfare representative for the British Horse Society, added: "I have also spoken to the secretary of the BHS who said this same problem was happening all over the country and is becoming a real worry."

Dave Wilson, assistant divisional engineer for North Yorkshire County Council highways, said the department was aware of the problem and it would be rectified as soon as possible.

He added: "This type of surface has only been developed recently and meets the code of practice for urban road use which came in a few years ago.

"It appears to win in every direction - it helps save the environment in that it can be laid in a thin layer creating less landfill when it is replaced, it cuts down tyre roar and rumble noises from vehicles and will probably reduce wear on tyres because of the reduction in friction," explained Mr Wilson.

"However, what has scored highly in all departments for vehicles has proved completely the wrong material when it comes into contact with metal - in this case, horse shoes.

"Because of this we are anxious to rectify the problem as soon as possible and will be having a discussion within the next few days to discuss laying a narrow strip down either side of the road where the new surface is laid.

"This could possibly be a more conventional tar and chippings strip which horse shoes can grip to. It should be in place within a few weeks," he said.