Council told to take action over £2m bridge vandalism in Barnsley

Cllr Will Fielding at the foot and cycle bridge in Barnsley.

A Barnsley councillor has called on the authority to take action around the state of the town’s new £2million foot bridge due to overgrown weeds, nettles and broken glass.

Cllr Will Fielding (Dodworth, LibDems) attended the opening event in May when the new foot and cycle bridge was opened by the Mayor of Barnsley at Penny Pie Park.

The bridge now links two public spaces, Penny Pie Park and Pogmoor Recreation Ground.

However, within just a few weeks, the bridge has already been vandalised – leaving graffiti with offensive symbols and words – and the area full of broken glass and meter-tall weeds.

Broken glass on the path at the Penny Pie Park bridge.

Cllr Fielding said the issue had been raised with the council but nothing had been done yet.

They added they welcomed the bridge but “the council should’ve done better than that”.

Cllr Fielding said: “It’s a combination of the way it’s been left with this glass all over the site and this is supposed to be a wildflower meadow but it’s more metals and weeds at the moment.

“I think it’d look really nice as a wildflower area, it probably needs a little bit of tender, love and care to help that grow as intended but a wildlife area with broken glass is just not acceptable at all.

“It’s still an open place; it’s still accessible. People and dogs can access it; it’s just an unnecessary risk. It’s just not good enough.

“I welcome the bridge, the link, and a lot of the work they’ve done, I just feel like the finishing on this part wasn’t good enough.

“The glass needs cleaning up.”

Cllr James Higginbottom, cabinet spokesperson for environment and highways, told the Local Democracy Service that the council was aware of the situation at the bridge.

He said: “We’re aware of concerns around litter and graffiti at the cycle and footbridge at Penny Pie Park, and our neighbourhood services team, who currently empty litter bins in the area twice a week, will be taking action to address the concerns raised.

“As part of the legacy of the footbridge project, our Parks Services team have also worked closely with Horizon Community College to incorporate Penny Pie Park litter picking into the Eco School Green Flag Award Programme.

“As part of this, the team have arranged two sessions in the park in September and October for litter picking, weeding, as well as the removal of tree guards to help maintain the area.”