A row over the colour of tarmac sent a Merseyside town into meltdown.
In 2017 Lord Street in Southport was resurfaced, a move that caused kickoffs throughout the former Lancashire tourist hotspot.
Lord Street was historically red, with the road being seen as iconic to those who lived there, but this all changed when Sefton Council took the decision to lay black tarmac, a suitably cheaper option, rather than red asphalt when the road needed work.
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The work, which took six weeks, was the subject of rows and saw people throughout the area fume over the decision.
Before work began, campaigners took to the streets of Southport to get people to sign their petition against the "damaging" choice to introduce black tarmac to the historic main road.
A Southport councillor at the time and former Sefton Conservative leader Cllr Terry Jones was among the protestors.
In 2017, he said: “If Southport Lord Street is resurfaced in black, this risks the loss of its Heritage status and the right to apply for any restoration grants from the Lottery Heritage Fund.
"Hence, a cheaper option now risks not only the status of Lord Street but the possibility of future funding for other projects such as the restoration and upkeep of its boulevards, walkways and verandahs."
The work was completed as the street had "deteriorated to such an extent that it is considered potentially dangerous".
The road traditionally boasted an iconic red surface and, when the roundabout at the corner of Duke Street was resurfaced with black tarmac in 2016, many residents complained over the loss of the street's 'identity'.
Despite the number of protests, Sefton Council leader Ian Moncur labelled protestors as "shameless" in the summer of 2017.
Cllr. Maher said that attempts to ignore responsibility by both Conservatives and Liberal-Democrats were "simply pathetic". He said at the time: "Their continued demonization of Sefton Council in such circumstances is as unforgivable as it is shameless."
Lord Street may have lost its iconic red surface but it still boasts plenty of historic features five years on from the controversial resurface.
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