Rutland County Council have recently removed two foot bridges between Alsthorpe Road and Sculthorpe Close Parkland, causing a group of disgruntled walkers to embark on a campaign to 'save our bridges.'

It appears that the two footbridges in question were installed and maintained by a local person and, as such, do not fall in line with planning and building regulations.

However, a group of dog-walkers and other local residents who regularly used these bridges are dissatisfied with this removal, calling it a 'waste of effort, time and money' in an open letter published by Oakham Nub News.

Local lady, Jill Harris, said: "Surely the Council has more pressing concerns and should be making better use of the limited resources. And in these money strapped times what has happened to common sense?" 

Rutland County Council have since spoken out about the issue, saying: "Public safety must always be our priority. The makeshift bridges near Alsthorpe Road were removed due to legitimate safety concerns.

"While we understand that some residents were happy to use bridges that had not been constructed in line with planning and building regulations, we have a responsibility to the wider public and must act in everyone's best interests. We will now work with residents to look at improving access between these two public open spaces, taking into account the need for safety and proper maintenance."

This is one of bridges that was removed (image courtesy of Jo Harley)

 The Council are also considering the removal of trees that have been planted by an anonymous local in the area.

Rutland County Council added: "We will also be consulting Alsthorpe Road residents about trees that have been planted on public open space without permission. The trees will be left in place while this consultation is carried out. We may need to remove a small number that are hampering our grounds maintenance and grass cutting operations.

 "We must consider lots of different factors when planting trees. The species of tree, location, type of soil and drainage can all affect whether a tree grows to be healthy or dies. There can be a risk of root damage if trees are planted too close to buildings and public consultation is needed for some tree planting schemes.

"We ask anyone who's interested in tree planting to please contact us first – so we can provide the right advice and guidance."

Residents can can do this by emailing: [email protected].

Alternatively, join the conversation by emailing [email protected], or find out more about this open letter here.

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