A COUPLE who put tarmac paths round their crazy golf course without planning permission are hoping they have won a two-year battle to keep them.

Planners who allowed the golf course to be built on green belt land ordered the owners to rip up the paths around it.

An inquiry into the affair opened at Dewsbury Town Hall yesterday.

The crunch meeting, overseen by a representative of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), is the last stage of the two-year saga.

The course was built by business owners Geoffrey and Audrey Wraithmell at Charlotte's Ice Cream parlour in Whitley near Grange Moor.

The couple's £12,500 course is the centrepiece to their bustling country business which employs 15 staff.

After building the course, Mr Wraithmell decided to put down tarmacadam paths.

He told the inquiry: "There was talk about the Disability Discrimination Act. That's when we put the paths down, so disabled people could have access to everything.

"I didn't want to get in trouble with the law."

The couple, who handed in a 3,000 name petition against the town hall order, refused to back down to the council, despite being ordered by planners to take up the paths.

Mr Wraithmell added: "All we have got is a smokescreen from the council."

Dewsbury South's councillor Khizar Iqbal attended the meeting and pledged his support to the Wraithmells.

He added: "It has been a complete waste of time and money and resources from the public purse.

"The planning issue on the golf course is, in my opinion, insignificant.

"With the new Disability Discrimination Act he would be required to carry out the work anyway.

"The council's response has been heavy-handed."

Mr Wraithmell told the Examiner that the two-year tarmac tiff had taken its toll on him.

He added: "We are just simple farmers. We have had no complaints about the course.

"We've got a petition in our favour with 3,000 people's name on it.

"I don't see the need to put more planning permission in because I've got it for the course area.

"It must have cost the council thousands. We believe we will win this fight."

A spokesman for the ODPM said they expected the inquiry's decision would be made public at the end of October.