Muddy Liden path is a danger, complain residents (From Swindon Advertiser)

Muddy Liden path is a danger, complain residents

6:30pm Tuesday 5th March 2013 in News By David Wiles

A PETITION has been started to sort out a dangerous footpath which is a key route to Great Western Hospital and Coate Water.

Residents in Liden are complaining to the council about the state of the gravel route, which runs alongside Liden Drive from Okebourne Park to White Edge Moor. The popular 170-yard stretch along Liden Drive becomes flooded and slippery when it rains, meaning users have to either risk falling over or walking in the busy Liden Drive.

Jaswant Singh Grewal, 62, of Okebourne Park, launched the petition after his wife Jasbinder Kaur Grewal, 61, suffered a heart attack over the New Year and they started using the footpath regularly to attend hospital appointments.

He said: “It’s very difficult to walk upon. A little bit of rain comes, it becomes muddy and a puddle of water. You can walk with your wellies on but not otherwise. Nobody can use a pushchair; a wheelchair is out of the question.

“It’s getting worse and worse and worse. I contacted the highways department towards the end of December. They brought a few shovelfuls of gravel and put it in two or three places but it’s no way satisfactory.

“There’s a lot of elderly people visiting the hospital from both estates. I was talking to some elderly residents in the Overbrook area – they use it quite a lot and everyone was saying it’s very difficult, very slippery when it rains.”

Mr Grewal, a retired fast food shop owner, said a council officer told him in January the council did not have money to do the work, but Mr Grewal said there must be some funds to make it safe.

Coun Derique Montaut (Lab, Liden, Eldene and Park South), who is backing the campaign, said: “There’s a need for people to be able to walk down and exercise their dogs and get to the hospital.”

A Swindon Council spokesman said: “The footpath was installed as an informal link between Okebourne Park and White Edge Moor when the new hospital link road was built many years ago.

“However, as there was insufficient funding at the time, it was agreed to install a stone path. The recent wet weather has had an effect on some parts of the footpath and we are investigating whether it is practical to install a drain to run alongside the path.

“There are no resources at this present time to upgrade the footpath to a Tarmac surface, but we have asked our contractor to top up areas with more stone where it is required.”

To sign the petition, visit Mr Grewal at 50 Okebourne Park.