Work is to start next week on repairing Ingrow tunnel.

Contractors will move in on Monday to carry out the project, which is expected to take between three and five weeks.

The tunnel was damaged last October when Yorkshire Water contractors working on Halifax Road above the structure accidentally dislodged brickwork.

Delays in the repair work have outraged motorists using the A629, where temporary traffic lights have caused massive congestion.

YW said this week that the traffic lights would remain in place while the work is carried out.

A spokesman for the company told us: "We hope the road will open as normal again early next month. The work will involve digging out above the tunnel, and ground stabilisation.

"We thank people for their patience over the past few months."

The tunnel - on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway (K&WVR) - was closed for a fortnight in October following the incident while engineers installed a steel plate to make the structure safe.

The K&WVR is still negotiating to obtain full compensation for such as loss of earnings during the period.

And chairman Graham Mitchell is calling for a speedy conclusion to the repairs.

He says: "We want to see the work done as quickly as possible.

"It is causing great inconvenience to the residents of Ingrow and Haworth, and has led to more traffic using Oakworth Road."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.