Angry locals blast council over £16m bridge over River Severn that leads to 'dangerous' flood zone in Midlands

Angry residents have blasted their council for wasting £16million on a bridge for walkers and cyclists that is said to be so boggy they need 'wellies and waders' to pass.

Worcester locals were promised a new footbridge with scenic paths leading to the city aimed at getting more people outdoors. But users of the Kepax Bridge - which spans the River Severn – say it is “pointless” and is surrounded on both sides by a muddy quagmire. 

Cyclists have described it as 'look[ing] like a warzone' and being 'dangerous' and 'pretty much unpassable' because of broken trees and thick mud on uneven ground.

Retired AA mechanic Andy Dainty, 73, regularly crosses the bridge with his wife Lillian, 72. Andy said: "The unfinished path is the biggest problem here, I saw this problem before the bridge was built, we know it would happen. The path is virtually non-existent and it’s still covered in the residue from the winter floods. Once you cross the bridge you’re treading through broken trees and thick mud over uneven ground. It’s pretty much unpassable in places. It looks like a warzone at the moment.”

Retired West Mercia Police support worker Lillian added: "I wouldn’t go over the bridge and use that route. We cycle and we've tried the road and that's just dangerous, getting back up it is impossible. The pathway is bad, too. You can't walk or cycle down there."

Meanwhile long-term resident Ian Hilton-Turvey, 64, says the bridge is useful for cyclists like him.

The business consultant said: “There’s a constant flow of people spaced out, and there’s never really anyone here. I cycle across and cycling works. There’s a gentleman coming across in his mobility scooter. Folk are saying aesthetically it’s good for the area, good for them and the community in general, and it’s not a bad thing to look at."

He describes it as a 'country path' that's okay if you hold on to a bit of fence, adding: "How mollycoddled do we have to be?"

Local group Bike Worcester has even blasted the project, saying vital parts of shoring up the pathways either side have been overlooked. Chair of the group Dan Brothwell said: "It seems like some of the easier bits around the edges, that are actually really important to make [the bridge] a success, have been overlooked. "Karen Lewing, a Green Party city councillor, branded the whole project "a bit pointless." She said: "In the scoping of the project they thought this was on the too hard to do list."The council admitted the area need landscaping but declared the project a “huge success” with “many thousands” of people using it.

A spokesperson added: “Kepax Bridge has been a huge success since it opened on 5th December 2024, with many thousands of people using the walkway between the east and west sides of Worcester. A new path has been installed on the west side of the river, linking the bridge to Hallow Road and beyond. “The path along the river towards Ferry Bank is prone to flooding, particularly in the autumn and winter, and typically dries out in the spring. "Although the path is used by some walkers, it is not a defined public right of way, so is not maintainable by our Public Rights of Way team. "Signage is in place to advise people using the path.”