RESIDENTS awarded compensation following the construction of the £21m Cudworth bypass are still waiting for payouts almost four years after it opened.
Some residents agreed compensation in September and were told they would be paid in February - but are still waiting.
Deborah Ackroyd, of Clifford Street, Cudworth, and former neighbour Margaret Hinchcliffe both instructed Cardiff-based William Ricketts Partnership to act on their behalf and were told amounts of £700 and £900 respectively had been agreed.
But Deborah, 44, said: "No one knows what's going on, it's absolutely ridiculous. We've already agreed to what we want, surely that's our money now? It's a lot of money they are withholding and I'm annoyed it's taking so long."
Both women claim they were told there was a dispute between William Ricketts and the council over fees.
The council's borough secretary Andrew Frosdick admitted he did not know what the hold up was and was not aware of any delay in the administration of payments.
He said the claims were being dealt with by a private firm, and had all been carefully examined.
Ken Cooper, of William Ricketts, said there had been some problems regarding these claims but he expected the two women to be paid imminently.
"The two claims were reported by us as having been agreed in October. I expect them to be paid fairly shortly now, though it is in the hands of the authority."
** The full story appears in the Barnsley Chronicle, dated April 11. **
