ESSENTIAL road maintenance in some of Craven’s most rural locations is due to get underway around the middle of the month - depending on the weather.

The annual programme of ‘surface dressing’ should start in Austwick, before moving on to Lawkland, Giggleswick, Otterburn, Coniston Cold, Kettlewell and Hebden.

North Yorkshire County Council says information boards will be put in place before the work starts, roads will be closed and diversions will be put in place.

Surface dressing, it says, forms part of the essential roads maintenance being carried out during the Covid-19 outbreak to ensure that key workers who need to travel to provide crucial services or deliver vital food and other supplies can do so with confidence.

County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said: “Surface dressing is a very quick and economical treatment to seal the road surface in order to prevent the ingress of water which damages the structure of the highway, it improves traction and restores to the road a consistent appearance after earlier patching by utility companies and their contractors.”

For more information, including when and where work is due to start, visit: www.northyorks.gov.uk/surface-dressing.

Roads where work will take place are: Graystonber Lane, Austwick; Sandaber A65 to Main street junction, Austwick; Lawkland Road, Lawkland; Eldroth Road, Lawkland; Eldroth junction link road, Giggleswick; Bell Busk to Otterburn, Otterburn; Moorber Lane, Coniston Cold; Hartlington to Hebden, Harlington; Townhead Lane, Austwick; Hall Close, Austwick; Main street, Austwick; Pant Lane, Austwick; Far Lane, Kettlewell; The Green, Kettlewell; Middle Lane, Kettlewell; Conistone Back Road, Kettlewell; Hebden Main Street, Hebden.