RESIDENTS have won the first round of a battle to have a pathway closed, 30 years after it began posing problems.

The residents of Trimdon Avenue and Keswick Grove, in Acklam, Middlesbrough, asked Middlesbrough Borough Council to close the footpath running between them amid claims that it was being abused.

Instead of serving as a handy shortcut for schoolchildren and local people, they said it was attracting gangs of youths who went there to drink, vandalise property and take drugs.

At a meeting called by the Kader Community Council to discuss the problems, a unanimous vote was taken in favour of closing the path, and further support came from the headteachers of nearby Acklam Grange and Kader Primary Schools.

A petition was raised, and in a letter to the planning and development committee, resident Brian Pearson listed eggs being thrown, open sexual activity and excessive drinking among the activities taking place.

But council officers have opposed the path's closure, citing objections from the Ramblers' Association and claiming it would contradict the council's Safe Routes to Schools initiative.

In a report to the committee, planning officer Dave Chew said: "Given the objections of the Transport Section and the Ramblers' Association, and while appreciating the residents' obvious concerns, I can only recommend that the application be refused."

Yesterday, the recommendation was rejected unanimously by councillors who, following a site visit, and after hearing residents' concerns, voted in their favour.

The application will now be considered by the Government before a final decision is taken.

Councillor Hazel Pearson, a Conservative councillor for Kader ward, said: "I have represented the ward for 30 years and I don't think there has been a single year when there hasn't been a problem.

"The way of life has deteriorated so much in the past few years that people were considering moving house," said Coun Pearson