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Protesters mark year since river bridge collapsed

Elliot Deady/BBC A man in a brown suede or velvet coat, with a striped scarf and trilby hat. Other people are standing behind him in Castle Park. There are trees visible.Elliot Deady/BBC
Tony Bland's petition has received more than 1,500 signatures

Protesters gathered at an historic footbridge in Colchester and marched through the city centre to mark one year since since it was closed off to the public.

Middle Mill weir in Castle Park and the footpath on top of it collapsed in December 2023.

One Year 6 schoolgirl at the protest showed the BBC a letter she sent to the local MP and council, calling for the repair to be prioritised.

Colchester City Council said the collapsed weir could be removed as early as March.

Louise Graham/BBC A broken weir with sandbags in place surrounded by debris.Louise Graham/BBC
Sandbags were put in place after the collapse to slow down more erosion

Resident Tony Bland, who led the protest on Tuesday, started a petition urging faster action, and it had more than 1,500 signatures.

"There's a strong pent up feeling of frustration and even annoyance towards the lack of action," he said.

Elliot Deady/BBC Darcie is smiling at the camera. She is standing outside in Castle Park with people gathered behind her. She is wearing a white school uniform polo shirt and a green and white checked jacket over the topElliot Deady/BBC
Year 6 pupil Darcie wrote a letter addressed to her local MP and the city council

In her letter addressed to Colchester Labour MP Pam Cox and the city council, North Primary School and Nursery pupil Darcie said: "Our community must have safe, accessible walking paths - it is an essential part of the safety of the people living in this town."

Other users of the park were not optimistic that the bridge repair work would be completed at any point next year.

Louise Graham/BBC Howard Banham is smiling at the camera, wearing a coat and standing outside in Castle Park.Louise Graham/BBC
Mr Banham says he believes the bridge diversion may also affect footfall into the city centre

Howard Banham said that while he was not affected too much by the bridge closure, he thought it could have been fixed much quicker.

"I wouldn't be at all surprised if it doesn't happen for another year or two," he said.

"It's a shame not having the bridge."

Louise Graham/BBC Jessie Crosby is wearing a green coat, smiling and standing in Castle Park. There is a tree behind her. It is a muggy looking day of weather.Louise Graham/BBC
Miss Crosby says that not having access to the footbridge meant having to navigate a more unsafe diversion route

Others have raised concerns over the accessibility of the diversion route around the river, which one local person said took 15 minutes to walk.

Jessie Crosby said: "It's not really a viable amended access route because there's no disabled access and the stairs are quite steep."

Miss Crosby pointed out that there was no street lighting on the diversion around the weir and that she sometimes felt unsafe walking at night.

"If you're by yourself and it's getting late, you tend to think is it really worth going that way?

"So you end up driving and then you have to pay for parking."

'Minimise inconvenience'

Leader of Colchester City Council, Liberal Democrat David King, said: "We know the last year has been particularly difficult for local residents, but we have made great strides in assessing the damage, exploring options for the future, and ensuring public safety remains our priority."

The city council is responsible for maintaining the weir, while Essex Highways is responsible for the footpath.

A highways spokesperson told the BBC it continued to support the city council "as it searches for a solution that prioritises public safety and minimises inconvenience".

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