NEW stone flags are being laid in York's Stonegate to replace controversial asphalt patches which sparked a storm of protest.

City of York Council is carrying out the work, just a month after dozens of damaged flags were taken up in the famous street and replaced by a patchwork of black asphalt.

Transport executive member, Cllr Ian Gillies, has confirmed that the work is taking place sooner than was originally planned, following his intervention.

When The Press revealed the asphalt work in May, traders slated the repairs, with one claiming the street looked more like Asphaltgate than Stonegate.

York Civic Trust chief executive David Fraser also branded the work ‘dreadful’ and ‘visually jarring,' adding: "Asphalt is just wrong in Stonegate, even as a temporary affair, and we all know that temporary repairs are always there for a long time."

An online petition was also launched, calling on the council to remove the asphalt and ‘give us back our history,’ which was quickly signed by hundreds of people, who posted comments branding the asphalt ‘dreadful, ‘unsightly’ and ‘a disgrace’.

But Cllr Gillies said then that the authority was sourcing new York stone paving for Stonegate which would be restored in June at a cost of between £30,000 and £50,000.

He said asphalt repairs had always been a temporary measure and it was far more cost effective to replace them all together. He also revealed that long term plans to make the world-famous street fit for the future and reduce the cost of ongoing repairs could cost up to a million pounds.

Cllr Gillies revealed yesterday he had not known that the asphalt patches were to be laid beforehand, and when he discovered what was happening, worked with officers to get the flags restored as quickly as possible. He confirmed his intervention had led to the project going ahead more quickly than had originally been planned.