A MYSTERY person placed a padlock on a gate near a popular riverside walk which has been closed because of natural erosion.
The lock appeared on a gate along The Slip in Northwick earlier this month leaving walkers baffled.
For more than a year, a section of the path between Northwick Lido to the steps down to the river near Chacewater Avenue has been closed off for a year now.
Campaigners have been desperately trying to get it reopened with calls for Worcestershire County Council to carry out the necessary works to make it safe.
Worcestershire County Council has confirmed they did not place the lock on the gate along the beauty spot.
The Public Rights of Way Team has visited the site and removed the padlock after it was reported to them by a member of the public.
They do not know who put the padlock on the gate.
Worcestershire County Council extended an order closing footpath WR-810 until October 1, 2023.
A previous statement said: "We are working on possible long term solutions for the area, but while that happens the path needs to remain closed for public safety.”
Councillor Alan Amos has said there were 'no current plans to permanently close the footpath'.
There have been talks about re-routing the public footpath away from the riverbank to resolve the issue.
But campaigners would prefer to see the path reopened so they can use the original route along the River Severn.
Mr Amos, cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said: “We can confirm that there are no current plans to permanently close the footpath.
"However, due to the extent and on-going nature of the land slip, repairing the path may prove not to be feasible as a long term solution.
READ MORE: Disappointment for campaigners with latest update on popular riverside walk
"If sufficient land is lost to the river and reinstating the path becomes impossible, we could consider a permanent change to the definitive line of the footpath, such as a diversion.
"However, these would require a legal order to be processed and would include a public consultation.
Signs have been placed along fences put up near Chacewater Avenue calling for the reopening.
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