Kirklees Council officials have got themselves a “refund” of sorts on an accident blackspot road.

The B6118 – a busy yet rural commuter route between Colnebridge and Grange Moor – suffered a string of smashes in 2015/16, with many motorists claiming they came a cropper due to a lack of grip.

Despite being closed three times last year – in February, April and November – for safety checks and upgrades, the country lane is to undergo another week of roadworks from May 22.

But taxpayers will be relieved to hear the week-long closure next month is being done free-of-charge.

The works are for a so called ‘surface dressing’ – a technique of covering the road with chippings and tar to prolong its life.

The five-mile-route was surface dressed by contractors in 2014 with a two year guarantee.

Video Loading

But almost a year after the guarantee expired, tough talking Kirklees officials have negotiated for it to be done again at no cost to Kirklees’ residents.

Council engineers said they thought the surface was unlikely to make it to the industry agreed age of seven to 10 years before it had worn out.

An email sent out by Kirklees Council to councillors says: “Further to the additional high friction surfacing work we carried out last year we have carried out a number of further tests on the existing surface dressing.

“Whilst the surface dressing is performing to a satisfactory standard at present, it is anticipated from the results that we would not achieve the required design life of seven-10 years out of the material that is down at present.

“Under the current West Yorkshire Surface Dressing Framework Contract we get a two year guarantee and the final guarantee is based on the end performance of the material.

“This site as you know was surface dressed in 2014, and therefore the guarantee officially expired last summer.

Video Loading

“However in light of the incidents that occurred last year, our contractor has agreed to extend the guarantee period by one year. “We have reached an agreement with our contractor that the best way forward with this site is to redress the length, at their cost, minus the sections of high friction surfacing.”

Many of the motorists who crashed on the route in recent years – which includes Liley Lane, Bellstring Lane and Bog Green Lane – have slid off on bends.

A high friction coating was installed on some of the crucial bends last year.

The latest works are set to take place from Monday, May 22 and run between 9.30am and 3.30pm.