'Money could have been saved over disgusting path'

A councillor said considerable cost could have been saved by a local authority acting sooner over a "disgusting" rural footpath on his patch.

Councillor Steve Kay said Redcar and Cleveland Council had, until recently, seemed "completely disinterested" in finding a solution to the flooding on the path at the side of Cherry Tree Bank, between Lingdale and Boosbeck.

Although the council has now stopped the source of the flooding, the path would have to be resurfaced due to the damage caused to it by the water, he said.

The authority confirmed repairs would be carried out but did not provide costings for the planned works.

Mr Kay told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the path had become covered in green slime as a result of a stream of water running through a hedge from a nearby field.

He said it had been a problem for about 18 months, during which time he had sent a "multitude of messages" to the council about its "disgusting state".

Mr Kay, an independent councillor for Lockwood ward, said: "The whole stretch [was] a massive slip hazard and in winter of course the [water] froze solid.

"Despite all this, and the fact that the footpath itself was getting damaged, until recently the council seemed completely disinterested in finding a solution.

"Only when the landowner contacted me did I manage to get the parties together and the problem, apparently, solved."

He added the council should have been more prompt in taking action, as now money needs to be spent on repairs.

Mr Kay said: "The council now says that because of the water damage it will now have to resurface the footpath at considerable cost [when] prompt action could have saved [the] expense."

The minority Labour-led council did not provide a costing for the planned works, but said that there had been an issue with a drain on private land which had caused water to spill out onto the public footpath.

A spokeswoman said: "The council worked with the landowner to resolve the issue and repair works to fix the footpath will be carried out in due course."

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