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Fury over Marlow river path sparks council action (From Bucks Free Press)
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Fury over Marlow river path sparks council action
7:30am Monday 12th November 2012 in News By Rebecca Cain
The muddy footpath
COUNCIL officials have pledged to make an emergency inspection of Marlow’s river path after a scathing complaint from shocked new resident, James Pieslak.
James, 32, moved to Marlow four months ago with his family and loves everything about the area except the path which runs alongside the Thames.
He says it has left him ‘aghast’ and he believes it will disappoint visitors coming to the town. He said when he walks or runs from the town towards Temple Lock after it has rained he comes to a very muddy section which is unwalkable.
James said: "It is kind of completely unwalkable. I am a runner as well. Whenever it rains what happens it is gets really boggy. It is simply inaccessible."
He moved to Marlow from Reading with his partner, Carly Ryan and they have an 11-week-old son called Tom.
He said they used to walk to Sonning from Reading with ease and never had any problems with the state of the river paths.
James, who goes running four times a week, added: "I had my mum and dad down a few weeks ago and I thought we could go for a walk along the river.
"Then we came across a lot of mud and we had to turn around. It is such a shame as it is so nice down there with Bisham Church across the river."
James, who works in Thame for Travelodge in Corporate Communications, said he believes whoever maintains the path should invest a money into it and make sure the path is well drained.
And he emphasised he loves the town. He said: "I love it. I love everything about the place. I have really enjoyed it. "It is friendly, the shops are great, it is a nice place."
Deputy Mayor Suzanne Brown said she has had people talking to her about the path this week, because of the weather.
She said: "I feel it should be sorted out. When it is not muddy it actually slopes.
"It needs quite a bit of work and not just when it is wet and muddy."
Buckinghamshire County Council owns the land. Dan Green, from Transport for Buckinghamshire, said:
"Due to the paths' riverside location and its status as part of The National Trail, it receives a high level of maintenance throughout the year. Ground works were carried out last year in partnership with the National Trail to improve the surface.
"An emergency inspection will take place to decide whether there are any immediate safety issues that require short term implementation.
"This year has been exceptional with unusual weather leading to a high level of surface growth and issues with drainage as well as higher than normal river levels.
"The unusual weather event means it is difficult to make a proper assessment of what is needed at the location and as such a further inspection will take place in the spring to ascertain whether subsequent works are required."
Comments(18)
Lividov
says...
10:01am Mon 12 Nov 12
acjy1985
says...
10:52am Mon 12 Nov 12
Ivor'sbestfriend
says...
10:56am Mon 12 Nov 12
acjy1985 wrote:I genuinely fear for his health if the river were to flood the footpath this year.
There is a path that runs parallel to this one a bit further inland from the river that is just as pleasant. Maybe he should give that a try! it works for me as a runner/walker. You can tell he is a Townie lost in the countryside. I can imagine how upset this time waster will be if the river were to flood a little bit!
Arcamo
says...
11:17am Mon 12 Nov 12
hahahahahahhahahahah
ahahaaa
acjy1985
says...
11:42am Mon 12 Nov 12
Gerry47
says...
11:52am Mon 12 Nov 12
I'm genuinely interested to hear from dog walkers why they do this, as surely if you've gone to the trouble of putting it in a bag then it's not much more trouble to carry it to the nearest bin.
Stalemate
says...
12:25pm Mon 12 Nov 12
Most runners would write-off such a route during the winter months anyway as it's pitch black before and after working hours!
There is a fantastic route to try that is free of mud, well lit and nearly always clear, just type "m40 hard shoulder" into your Garmin and off you go buddy!
BOOKERite
says...
1:27pm Mon 12 Nov 12
I would be extremely upset if the council spent some of my hard earned money on getting rid of a puddle.
katodeza
says...
1:40pm Mon 12 Nov 12
J B Blackett
says...
2:36pm Mon 12 Nov 12
.
Amersham-Normal!!
says...
2:50pm Mon 12 Nov 12
Stalemate
says...
5:32pm Mon 12 Nov 12
mossella6
says...
7:14pm Mon 12 Nov 12
DonRockell
says...
7:27pm Tue 13 Nov 12
Sorry but not everywhere is paved and covered in tarmac but then that's what we call towns and cities
AJBartle
says...
12:26pm Mon 19 Nov 12
The deputy mayor has also stated it needs looking at on safety grounds but that doesn't matter as much as venting fury at an "outsider with a funny foreign name" does it? Pathetic.
KLythgow
says...
12:38pm Mon 19 Nov 12
r IV he'd experience much more support.
Welcome to Toryville James - its a local place for local people, we'll have no trouble here!
DonRockell
says...
9:53pm Sun 25 Nov 12
AJBartle wrote:No what we are saying is that complaint is pathetic and maybe some of us like it just the way it is thank you very much
Such vitriol from anonymous internet warriors against a new resident who dares to request that a certain section of the town, that he loves incidentally, may need improvement. Wow! Not really sure where this anger comes from as he isn't exactly threatening your family is he?
The deputy mayor has also stated it needs looking at on safety grounds but that doesn't matter as much as venting fury at an "outsider with a funny foreign name" does it? Pathetic.
Ivor'sbestfriend says...
9:40am Mon 12 Nov 12
I too run along the river in the mornings, but if it's been raining I go a different route that's less muddy. It's amazing what a bit of forward planning can achieve. The stretch between Henley and Reading also gets muddy when it rains, make sure you don't ever try to walk that route Mr. Pieslak, you might find yourself more than aghast!