It looks like the Environment Agency has got the message that some of their timber footbridges are failing. So lets just check the EA response.
There is a Yahoo report from the Bucks Free Press about the Temple timber footbridge problem. This timber footbridge has been closed for years and now the EA is working on a design for a new bridge. You can find the report here.
I have reported previously about problems with the timber footbridges across the Jubilee River.
This is the text of a report from the EA
What’s happening to the footbridge near me?
Did you know that the footbridges over the Jubilee [River] are usually the responsibility of the relevant council?
Many were constructed at the same time as the Jubilee and are now due for repairs or replacement.
Here is a list of footbridges that are currently closed to the public for safety reasons, and which council to contact for more information:
- Ashford Lane footbridge, Dorney. Contact www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk(External link)
- Allotments footbridge, near A332/ B3022, Slough. Contact www.slough.gov.uk(External link)
- Black Potts footbridge, near Eton Road, Datchet. Contact Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead(External link)
The following footbridge was replaced in 2023:
- Berry Hill footbridge, Taplow. Contact www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk(External link)
This EA report fails to mention that responsibility for the timber footbridges was passed from the EA to the local authorities. Could it be that the local authority emails are being used to divert attention away from the EA? This EA report also claims that the Berry Hill footbridge has been repaired. In fact only the centre section has been replaced with a metal construction. The two end sections are still the original timber. So what about the Duty of Candour? You can see the full report and what the EA is claiming here. My main concerns are about when these bridges will be replaced and who is going to pay?
END