FEARS have been raised over the future preservation of an ancient monument in Oswaldtwistle after restoration work was delayed.

A grant of £75,000 was handed to Hyndburn Council last year for the former Aspen Colliery, know locally as the 'fairy caves', by the WREN's FCC Heritage Fund.

However, 12 months on, the work has not started and questions have been raised about where the money has gone.

The 200-year-old coke ovens, which border Church, once converted coal from the Aspen Colliery off Blackburn Road into coke.

This was then used as a smokeless fuel in the nearby steelworks.

The ovens closed in 1930 before being declared an ancient monument in 1977.

Cllr Stewart Eaves, who represents the area on Hyndburn Council, said the site needs to be preserved for future generations.

He said: "These ovens have been a big part of the areas history for hundreds of years.

"They provided fuel for the steelworks that helped make the whole region what it is today.

"I was getting worried about the ovens because the money is vital for the area and nothing has happened yet.

"They have significant importance and should be made more of a focal point of Oswaldtwistle.

"We cannot let pieces of our history be lost and forgotten about, they could be made into something for everyone to enjoy."

A set of interpretation boards will be installed at the site once work is complete, so that visitors can find out more about the ovens’ history.

Completion of the project will also see the site removed from Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register.

WREN is a non-profit making environmental body registered to fund projects eligible under the Landfill Communities Fund.

The fund covers the repair, maintenance or restoration of a building or structure of historic or architectural importance.

A Hyndburn Council spokesman said; "The start of proposed restoration works on the Aspen Colliery Coke Ovens has been delayed following the completion of a comprehensive Condition Survey by specialist architects which has identified costs above the grant allocated.

"An application for further funding has been made and the council remains confident that works to restore the scheduled moment will proceed in the short to medium term."