Ribbon road given fresh backing

An aerial view of the 4000 year old 'Rotherwas Ribbon' Enlarge Image

Plans to build a road over a 4,000-year-old group of stones in Herefordshire will definitely go ahead.

The Rotherwas Ribbon was unearthed by workmen this summer building a relief road in Hereford.

Earlier this month Herefordshire Council's cabinet said it wanted to go ahead with the road plans and build a "protective membrane" over the stones.

The council's environment scrutiny committee backed the plans after a four-hour long debate on Monday.

Campaigners had been urging the council to abandon the road plans and turn the site into a tourist attraction.

However, the council said it was essential the £20m relief road project went ahead to secure jobs and businesses in the area.

The scrunity committee had the final decision over whether the plans could go ahead.

Newsletter circulated

The news comes as campaigners fighting to save the Ribbon, also known as the Dinedor Serpent, claimed council officials had known about the feature before telling the public.

Activists from the Save the Dinedor Serpent campaign used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain an email sent to senior council officers, dated 11 May, telling them about its potential significance.

Gerald Dawe, the councillor who represents the ward containing the Ribbon, said he did not know about its significance until it was featured on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

However, a spokesman for Herefordshire Council said the discovery of the Ribbon was announced in a newsletter circulated to councillors on 14 May and all county residents on 21 May.