A GROUP of councillors have come together to try and improve paths in Cockermouth.

Cockermouth Councillors Richard Watson and Howard Beanland spent some time cleaning the footpath at Double Mills Bridge over the River Cocker on Thursday, August 3 to make it easier for wheelchair users and those with buggies, bikes or mobility problems to negotiate this section.

Councillor Beanland said: "The path on the west side of the bridge gets clogged up with soil and gravel being washed down the Double Mills access road by surface rain-water run-off.

"The whole corner at that entrance to Harris Park, which is heavily used, needs to be re-designed and landscaped to solve the drainage problem that’s causing the build-up and leaving the water to gouge out its own channels down the slope, making it harder for people to use the path.

"It took us a couple of hours to clean the path to a reasonable standard. But it really needs more work to get it back to its original state. We’ll be back."

Mr Beanland is a regular volunteer with the National Trust’s Fix the Fells initiative which repairs and maintains the Lake District’s mountain paths.

He has persuaded fellow councillors on Cockermouth Town Council to survey the footpaths in the town, so that a plan can be developed to improve them.

"Many of the paths are the responsibility of Cumberland Council," said Councillor Richard Watson. "But the Town Council has unanimously agreed to take action by doing the survey to begin with."

Marion Bowman, who is one of the councillors for Double Mills said: "It’s important to make it as easy as possible for people to use footpaths, not just for safety, but to enable more people to save money by leaving their cars at home when they need to come into town.

"There are health and wellbeing benefits too and it reduces pollution from car fumes and carbon. We’d like Cockermouth to be even more walking-friendly than it already is, with a network of well-maintained paths."

The Council would like members of the public to participate in the survey, which covers only footpaths and cut-throughs rather than pavements, to contact the town councillors in their ward if there are sub-standard paths in their area.