RESIDENTS have slammed York council over delays in starting work on a crumbling road which they claim is "almost impassable".

Wilton Rise, off Holgate Road, has fallen into a state of disrepair because it is not believed to have been repaired for at least 20 years.

It is one of York's 70 unadopted private highways, which is not the responsibility of City of York Council, and residents have never been able to reach agreement after previously being told they must each pay £500 to get it improved.

But the council decided to make "one-off" repairs, as the street forms part of its priority cycleway and pedestrian network. Work was set to begin in April, but has still not started.

Residents' representative Brian Bevan claims the council started work on nearby Windmill Rise, off Poppleton Road, by mistake.

"They would never own up," he said, "But on the day we were told our road was being shut off for the improvements to start nobody came. By strange coincidence work started on Windmill Rise that same day.

"We're not happy about the delay - it keeps getting put off."

A spokesman for City of York Council said: "There has certainly been no confusion between these two separate schemes. The scheme for Windmill Rise was part of our scheduled programme and includes improvements to the footpaths

"However, there has been a delay in commissioning the Wilton Rise project because we were exploring the most cost-effective options for the scheme.

"This will result in a better final appearance for the whole of the project. We are pleased to say that the work has now been commissioned with the contractor and work will be starting imminently - although only after we have written to residents to tell them when the work is about to begin."

The proposal is to carry out repairs to the carriageway and footway to make them safe for cyclists and pedestrians.

Updated: 15:29 Friday, September 06, 2002