Taxpayers face a £3,000 bill after a blunder led to a York park being smothered in asphalt.

John Tull, right, and David Horwell with the new concrete entrance to Hob Moor

When a muddy entrance to Hob Moor, Holgate, was churned up by countless feet and pushchair wheels, local residents asked the council to help.

They imagined one or two workmen, a wheelbarrow of material and an easy afternoon's work to firm up the entrance.

Instead, mechanical diggers rolled in and left Hob Moor sporting an unsightly black patch where 40 square metres of grass once stood.

John Tull, who lives on Hob Moor Drive; by the moor entrance, said: "The plan was to provide a small Tarmac area at the entrance, no more than a few square metres, to help visitors, especially those with pushchairs, to get through without sinking into the well-worn muddy path.

"But somebody seems to have misread four square metres for 40, and now we have an area covered the size of a tennis court."

Mr Tull, who is standing as a Liberal Democrat councillor for Holgate in the local elections, said: "We were told it would cost £3,000 to put right but it is not clear who will pay. If the council ends up footing the bill it will be a right waste of taxpayers' money."

The work was originally requested by the Holgate South neighbourhood forum, which paid for it from the budget it receives from City of York Council.

Holgate ward councillor, Bob Scrase, said: "It was unfortunately a good idea turned into a horror story."

A red-faced City of York Council spokesman today apologised for the 'inconvenience'.

He said: "The problem arose due to misunderstanding the requirements of the work, which has subsequently turned out to be not what the residents wanted. The council carried out the work, and we will put right the problem financially."

Work on returning the asphalt area to grassland is expected to begin in late spring, once the ground has dried sufficiently so that it will not be further damaged.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.