The wet and stormy weather so far this year has prevented any footpath work. It has also created additional work.
The team had a new and somewhat more technical challenge this week. The footbridge over the Brook below the Church has been inundated during the rains. This has resulted in the foundation on the south side of the bridge to be severely eroded. Fortunately the bridge is still secure and is sitting on the sleepers that support the bank.
So on a dry Sunday morning a group of volunteers set out to repair the damage and prevent a worse situation in the future. Unfortunately, vehicular access was out of the question so we had to carry our tools and materials from the Church car park.
Four men and a dog cleared the debris off the bridge, jacked up the bridge 12cm (5 inches in our language, none of us were born after 1953 except the dog) and inserted an additional sleeper under the end of the bridge. The hole was then filled with gravel from the bed of the Brook.
The finished job should keep the bridge safe for a while, at least until the next bad storm.
Also as a result of the storms, there is a dead tree blocking the Bridleway at the Coton end.
This is a job that the volunteers are not qualified or insured to undertake and so it has been reported to the Council and it is hoped that they will be able to remove it soon although they are inundated at present following the storms.
We could do with some new younger members of the group if anyone feels like helping out occasionally. Please advise us if there are other problems with the Rights of Way network in or around the Parish. We can be contacted at mac@milwich.com.
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