Water voles rule—okay!

THE construction of a long stretch of towpath on the Oxford Canal into a cycle track near the city, has been scuppered as water voles have been discovered nearby!

There was £200,000 worth of resurfacing work due to begin on the badly worn towpath at Jericho, to be paid for by the government funded Sustrans, but it will not now happen, Allan Richards tells us.

Now two metres wide

With the risk of injuries to walkers by speeding cyclists finally getting through to Sustrans, it has now deemed that its upgraded towpath must be the regulation two metres wide to allow segregation.

But the verge of the towpath and the canal is around 20cm (8ins) short of the required width, as water voles are present.

Powerful body

As there seems little chance of the protection being lifted by the all-powerful body protecting the voles, the towpath will not be resurfaced.

The local council want a narrower cycle track to be built, quoting others that are not the required two metres, but Sustrans is worried about possible litigation should a walker be injured, and the track not being to the regulation width.

Sustrans admits that the situation 'probably isn't going to be resolvable'.