PLANS to install a blue plaque next to Haworth's historic stocks have been approved.

Dating back to at least the 1850s, the stocks are located on Haworth Main Street - just outside St Michaels and All Angel's Church.

This autumn Haworth Parish Councillor David Mahon submitted a planning application to Bradford Council to fix a blue plaque on the wall behind the archaic punishment device.

The plaque would inform visitors to the village that although the earliest record of punishment stocks is 1853, they are thought to date from much earlier in Haworth's history.

They were originally located by the Black Bull, and were used to "punish people for wrongdoings" - but were relocated to the current site in 1909.

The planning application has now been approved.

Conservation officer at the Council Hannah Meekings supported the plan, suggesting steel screws should be used on the plaque to avoid "rusty streaks" in the wall behind the stocks.

Approving the planning application, officers said: "It would appear as a minor feature that would not detract from the character of the site. Any modest impact on amenity will be outweighed by the benefits of the sign in terms of informing the many thousands of visitors to Haworth as to the heritage of the site."