Work to restore an historic Barnoldswick footpath has been completed.

Thanks to funding from three local councils, renovation work costing £16,000 has been carried out at the 40 Steps, off Gillians Lane.

Barnoldswick councillor David Whipp, who chairs Pendle Council’s West Craven Area Committee, said: “It’s a hugely popular route and the work to get it into a good state of repair for a hundred years or so is really welcome.”

The path runs from Gillians Lane, near Bancroft Mill, crosses the stream at Ouzledale and links with the end of Longfield Lane, also known as Crowfoot Row.

“That track goes back centuries,” said Dennis Cairns, chairman of Barnoldswick Historical Society. “It was used by people from the outlying villages to come into Barnoldswick.”

Coun Whipp said: “It’s an historic path that was a route for the hand loom weavers to get from their cottages to the mill.”

However, despite being known locally as the 40 Steps, there are actually only 39.

“It’s one of those quirks that we have in Barlick. Maybe Barlickers at the time couldn’t count when they put in the footpath,” said Coun Whipp.

He said in recent years the route had been plagued by dog fouling and he hoped the latest work would encourage people to keep it clean.

“We had it all cleaned up and created a weed-free environment by re-laying setts on a weed-proof membrane and putting new grouting in place,” said Coun Whipp.

The 40 Steps project was partly funded by Barnoldswick Town Council, which gave £7,000, and Lancashire County Council chipped in £2,000.

The West Craven Area Committee also committed £7,000 towards the work, which is part of Pendle Council’s urban ginnels programme.

“I campaigned to get this started in 2008,” said Coun Whipp. “These urban ginnels have been neglected for far too long.”

He said schemes to improve other ginnels had seen work completed on a footpath that runs along Victory Park between Westfield Road and West Close Road in Barnoldswick. In Earby, money had been used to improve a footpath that runs from Wentcliffe Drive to Rushton Avenue.

However, other ginnels still needed improving in Barnoldswick, including a footpath from Parrock Street to The Butts and a route known as Pickles Hippins, which runs from Esp Lane to Calf Hall Lane. “It’s quite important that we get more funding from Lancashire County Council so that we can get more work carried out,” said Coun Whipp.