Residents are celebrating victory in their battle to carry on the tradition of hanging out washing in back alleys.

Councillors have backed off a plan to peg down people doing their washing to one or two designated days a week over an eight-hour period.

They agreed to take no further action in the wash-day war with residents of Thornton Street, Skipton, which has raged for about a year.

They could have introduced a Traffic Regulation Order designed to prevent washing obstructing vehicles.

But the North Yorkshire County Council committee's decision means residents can carry on pegging out between the backs of terraced houses.

The tradition was threatened after air steward David Painter claimed washing was blocking his way by car.

Angry women, led by Margaret Hicks of Thornton Street, lobbied councillors on the county area committee which met in Skipton yesterday.

After cheering the decision, the 11 women said they were going to celebrate with a cup of tea. Mrs Hicks said: "Nobody was going to tell us what to do with our washing. It is the council which has lost, not we have won. We were in for the long haul - if it had taken ten years we would have stuck it out."

Earlier she told councillors the suggestion to pin people down to one or two specified times a week was not realistic.

"Say we are told we can peg out on Wednesdays, but because the forecast is rain we peg out on Monday or Tuesday, are you going to get the police to arrest us?" she asked. "It's time county hall said live and let live and let's go back to where we were."

The women were backed by Craven councillor Paul English and county councillors Mike Doyle and Alex Bentley. Coun English said: "Are we going to turn these people into criminals for going about their household chores? It's ridiculous."

The decision will go before the committee for ratification.