28/8/08

Abbey Road resident Derek Barnes on the riverbank, while workman remove the willow spiling

An experimental £60,000 anti-erosion barrier which failed to properly protect the Thames towpath is being torn out after years of complaints.

The willow spiling defence system - which involved wooden stakes being woven into the bank to form a barrier - infuriated residents in Abbey Road, in West Oxford.

They said it had allowed the river bank to crumble away by a metre in places since the spiling was installed along a 300-metre stretch of the river north of Osney Bridge in 1999.

Residents also feared their homes in Abbey Road, which back on to the towpath, could flood if the bank was not repaired, or that someone could slip and fall in to the river.

In January 2007, 15-year-old Ben Halsey Jones died after falling off his bike into the river nearby.

Oxfordshire County Council started work on Monday to rebuild the river bank and replace the spiling with a £100,000 'gabion' wall - cages filled with rubble. Work is due to be completed by October.

Derek Barnes, 66, of Abbey Road said: "We can't wait for this willow to be gone and we can see the back of this rubbish. It was just a complete shambles and a complete and utter waste of money.

"When we saw these workers hammering in a few willow sticks and tying dead willow sticks around it we knew well enough it was not going to be good enough to protect the bank, but nobody would listen to us and that was it."

Mr Barnes added: "Everyone on the street is really happy about this. They look to be making a real first class job of it and it will make such a difference to the bank. This is how it should have been done years ago."

Senior engineer Andrew Vidovic said: "The county council had always said it would look at this situation during the latter part of the year and is keeping that promise."

Ward councillor Susanna Pressel said: "When the work is finished the river bank will look very good. It's designed to look natural like an unsupported river bank but it will also make the bank much safer."