Waterways ‘limbo’ is simply not safe
Maidenhead: Paddlers have to avoid ‘dangerous’ low pipe bridge
Calls have been made to remove a ‘dangerous’ low pipe bridge over the Maidenhead waterways due to concerns for the safety of canoeists and paddleboarders.
Richard Davenport, chairman of the Friends of Maidenhead Waterways (FoMW), said the pipe bridge over the waterway near to Maidenhead Retail Park in Stafferton Way does not provide enough headroom for waterway users to clear it safely and canoeists have to ‘limbo’ under it to pass through.
It has previously been confirmed by Thames Water that the sewage pipe is no longer in use, Mr Davenport said, and the group has called for either the bridge to be removed entirely or for action to be taken to make it safer.
The ‘dangerous’ pipe hangers (large steel brackets) upon which the pipe is situated are ‘a real hazard’ if anyone was to bang their head on them, Mr Davenport said.
“[The pipe hangers are] nearly rusted through. The brackets stick out below creating a serious risk of head injury for canoeists or other waterway users to pass,” he added.
Mr Davenport said the bridge has been a longrunning topic of conversation. When planning permission was obtained to restore the waterways in 2012, the original plan was to raise the low pipe bridge to allow boats to pass through safely.
During the detailed design, Thames Water advised the Royal Borough council that the large pipe itself was no longer active and could be safely removed, he said.
But in 2015, Thames Water and the Conservative council at the time could not reach an agreement on who would pay for its removal, and consequently the pipe was left, Mr Davenport said.
“It’s something that has been left over from the main works years ago, and despite nagging and reminders and discussions, nobody’s agreed to do anything about it, he added.
Mr Davenport said there are also no proper launch facilities on the waterway and the group has been calling for the council and others to help them improve accessibility to the water for a number of years.
“It is not yet achieving its potential,” he said.
“It’s things like the dangerous pipe bridge, [with] low headroom that restrict its appeal.”
On Sunday, FoMW volunteers attached signs warning of low headroom to the bridge and added padding to the hangers, providing a short-term safety improvement,
The group is urging the council to reopen discussion with Thames Water to negotiate a long-term solution to the issue, with the preferred option being to remove the pipe and bridge structure entirely.
He said the group recognised this could be a ‘costly option’ so suggested some lower cost options, including removing only the low pipe hangers, or removing the hangers and the redundant pipe.
A council spokesperson said: “We’d like to thank the Friends of Maidenhead Waterways for highlighting this matter.
“It is the council’s understanding that this is Thames Water’s infrastructure and the council will be writing to the company highlighting the issues raised by the Friends group and asking Thames Water to remove the pipe.
“Alongside this, the council has created a new Waterways Partnership and this matter will be added to the agenda for the next meeting for further consideration.
“The council’s sustainability team has not received any comments from paddlers about accessibility onto the waterways, however, we’d welcome the opportunity to discuss this further with any local paddling clubs and would encourage them to get in touch.”
Thames Water has been contacted for comment.