Last updated 19:44, Thursday, 17 April 2008

THOSE cobbles have caused quite a ripple in the Workington pond.

When the county council revealed it had a plan to rip the heart out of historic Portland Square - citing health and safety as its reason - it could not have foreseen the strength of public feeling against it.

The Times & Star’s Save Our Cobbles petition, handed over to county councillors this week, underlines that public opinion is firmly against this ill considered sledgehammer-to-crack-a-nut solution on the state of the square.

However, the county council still doesn’t seem to have totally grasped the message.

Today we report that a county council engineer has stated that the cobbles will again be a priority next year if funding is available.

He maintains that the cobbles are “unsafe”, although there is no evidence of any accident ever happening there.

That’s certainly the view of the people who know - those who live there.

The ideal solution would be take up the cobbles wherever there happens to be a damaged, uneven surface - and re-lay them.

One thing is certain: if the county council does come back to its original plan, it will be fought tooth and nail by those who care about Workington’s heritage.

The county must listen to what people say before stumbling into another public relations disaster.

TOWN’S HEROES

It is almost 50 years to the day since Workington Town met Wigan in the Challenge Cup final at Wembley.

What a glorious day, and how fitting that three heroes of that great Town side - Sol Roper, Harry Archer and Bert Eden - have been invited to Sunday’s cup tie against Super League Hull KR.

How Town could now do with that old cup magic.