Should Black Country subway underpasses be closed?

Underpasses – or subways – were a popular across the Black Country and Staffordshire and became heavily linked with the notorious hooligan firm, Wolves Subway Army.

As the decades have passed, many were neglected and rarely used because they became prime territory for muggers and drug addicts.

Many in Sandwell have been closed, and now Telford & Wrekin Council has started to fill them with concrete foam and their entrances grassed over.

It is a solution that is increasingly being used by councils – solving the problem of underpasses by literally removing all trace of them.

Black Country authorities today said they are aware of the issues arising from subways, but that many still have an important role to play.

In Wolverhampton there are still several subways – mainly due to the city's ring road. The best known one links Molineux with the city centre at Wulfruna Street and is essential for fans attending match day.

But it still vulnerable to being used to assist criminals. Last year two men lured a disabled man into the subway before mugging him after befriending him in a takeaway on Broad Street.

Under the ring road there are also subways at Chapel Ash, and Penn Road and Bilston Street islands.

Wolverhampton Labour councillor Milkinder Jaspal says measures need to be taken to make sure underpasses are safe.

He said: "There have been concerns over many years by people in the city about the safety of underpasses.

"If you look at the one near Molineux and the Civic Centre then it provides a really important link to the stadium and the city and also helps ease the traffic on match days.

"These days there is a lot we can do. We need to make sure that subways are maintained, cleaned, are well-lit, and if needed CCTV can be put in place.

"Some have been closed over the years because of flooding but they are still an important route in and out of the city for pedestrians."

In Sandwell, the council has closed several subways because of anti-social behaviour.

Locations include Hagley Road West in Bearwood, Oldbury Road in Smethwick, and All Saints Way near Sandwell Hospital at West Bromwich.

Council leader Steve Eling said: "Over the years we have filled many in because people felt they were unsafe.

"Subways were very popular in the 60s and 70s as a way of crossing under busy roads but they certainly started to attract anti-social behaviour.

"We have put in road crossings where we could as we still needed to provide places for people to get around."