Call for action to cut back overgrown bushes blocking footpath in Wigan

Natalie Gibson, who lives in Whelley, regularly walks along the footpath, which runs alongside Riverway in Wigan town centre, between the River Douglas and Tesco Extra.

She says the path is also well-used by dog walkers, parents with prams and many other people.

But it has become almost impossible to proceed along it recently due to the overgrown bushes and overhanging branches encroaching onto the path.

Natalie said: “You are ducking and hoping you are not scratched and have branches poking in your eyes."

She has been told Wigan Council will not cut back the greenery as the land is unadopted and instead it has been done previously by people sentenced to unpaid work by the courts.

But Natalie believes the work has not been done for three or four years and has now become too big a job for community payback workers.

She is calling for the local authority to take action so the path can become useable once more.

She said: “I don’t think it’s a job that can be done by hand. I think Wigan Council should be doing something. They seem to be washing their hands and saying it’s unadopted land.”

When contacted by the Wigan Post, a council spokesman said work would be carried out next month to clear the path.

They said: “We can confirm that this path is unadopted. However, as we know it is well-used by local residents, as a one-off we will be carrying out some maintenance on this path in September.”