A PROJECT to repair erosion on a footpath has allocated dedicated spaces for our four-legged friends to enter the water.

Work to the footpath that runs adjacent to Egford Brook in Vallis Vale are now complete and the area has reopened to the public.

The repairs, carried out by a team from Heidelberg Materials’ Whatley quarry, addressed the riverbank erosion caused by increased foot and paw fall and high winter river flows.

New flow features have also been installed that will help shore up the banks and provide enhanced and more varied fish habitats, while slowing the flow of the river and reducing the effects of erosion.

Principal landscape architect at Heidelberg Materials UK, Alex Hemming, said: “We know that many people use the footpath to walk their dogs, and dog-dipping areas have been created to help reduce further erosion of the riverbank, without preventing four-legged users of the path from accessing the water.”

The project to shore up the path and allow easy doggy access was carefully planned to avoid disrupting fish spawning cycles and was guided by input from the Environment Agency, Natural England and The Wild Trout Trust (TWTT).

Necessary consents for the project were secured and the materials used were chosen for being both natural and locally sourced.

Some trees along the riverbank have been coppiced as part of the design provided by The Wild Trout Trust to ensure the long-term resilience of the riverbank, and these stools will regrow.

Larger collections of wood from around the area have been anchored in to the river bed to slow down its flow to further reduce erosion while also providing habitat for invertebrates and fish.

The company also has plans to install information boards about the riverbank and the wildlife that call it home.