WORCESTER'S MP is backing a bid for a new 'northern footbridge' over the River Severn - saying it will give the city an economic and environmental boost.

Robin Walker says a potential bridge linking Gheluvelt Park to Kepax Country Park will offer the city a perfect "figure of eight" for walking and cycling.

He also says he would be prepared to lobby the Government over it once council chiefs have drawn up their firm plans.

As the Worcester News revealed last Tuesday, the city council has put aside £150,000 for a 'feasibility study' into the footbridge.

It is likely to cost at least £2 million, with hopes that it will replicate the huge success of Diglis Bridge which has transformed travel patterns in south Worcester.

Mr Walker said: "It's very exciting, I know this is something Councillor Simon Geraghty (the county council's leader) has been very keen on for some time and it all looks very positive.

"To take a great quote from Frank Underwood when Trump became President, 'losers build walls, winners build bridges'.

"This would be great for Worcester, we've seen with the success of Diglis Bridge how it has allowed so many people to walk and cycle - creating a figure of eight by getting a northern one in place would be ideal."

The prospect of a new city footbridge has led to a deluge in reaction from Worcester News readers, with the overwhelming majority supporting it.

Some have suggested a new bridge should have a clear separation line between pedestrians and cyclists - something not factored into either the ageing Sabrina Bridge off Hylton Road or the crossing at Diglis.

Cyclist Matt McNally, 41, who lives in Claines, said: "It would be brilliant for Worcester to see this happen.

"Most people don't even know where the Kepax park is, it would open the whole route up."

St John's resident Sandra Austin, 50, of Oldbury Road, said: "If you can't drive, footbridges make everything a bit easier.

"The one at Diglis is marvellous, I say bring it on."

More than 100 comments have been made about it on our website and Facebook page too, with around 80 per cent backing it.

More than 465,000 annual trips are typically made across Diglis Bridge, more than 10 times the original forecast since opening in 2010.

Worcester News:

The £150,000 fund for a feasibility study has been approved as part of the 2017/18 city council budget after the Conservative group suggested it, securing cross-party backing.

The study will firm up the exact route, its cost, the design and any likely timescales before Worcestershire County Council is asked to develop it further and seek funding.