Ashford Lane footbridge collapse – is this just the beginning? Here we go again. Apparently this (now collapsed) footbridge that previously carried the public footpath over the Jubilee River at Lake End Road, Dorney has been closed since December 2024 while Bucks County Council considers the options.
My view is that yet again with these timber footbridges over the Jubilee River – there is no sense of importance or urgency in decision making and taking action until something dramatic occurs. The Environment Agency will now have to look at overseeing the removal of the structure that is now sitting in their channel as a matter of urgency. (I will just take this opportunity during a heatwave to mention the Summer Flooding of July 2007.) The irony is that the Environment Agency were responsible for the design and construction of these timber bridges before they transferred responsibility for those structures to the local authorities
I should also mention that the Berry Hill footbridge repairs (at a cost of about £0.5m to Bucks CC ratepayers) were only partial. Only the centre section of the Berry Hill footbridge was replaced with a metal structure – both ends are still the original timber construction. Today, Black Potts footbridge – between Datchet and Eton – is on the verge of collapse and now closed. Black Potts footbridge is a real problem for RBWM because the timber structure is cracking and sagging. Without prompt and effective action this will become a problem for the Environment Agency when the bridge falls into the Jubilee River and is likely to drift towards the Black Potts Weir.
Structural failure – Black Potts footbridge – Datchet – June 2025. You can see my previous report on the Ashford Lane footbridge here