THE Itchen Way footpath between Twyford and the M3 near Winchester is now open following major repairs.

The works, which included a temporary monorail to carry heavy material, will safeguard the future of the river.

It is part of the five-year project led by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust to create a heritage trail celebrating the outstanding wildlife and history of the Itchen Navigation.

Contractors have repaired half a mile of riverbank between Compton Lock, near Twyford, and the M3 at Hockley.

A year ago, this part was often flooded and the bank was eroding away. There was a danger that the bank would collapse, causing uncontrolled flooding onto water meadows, loss of the path and damage to the river and its wildlife.

Ali Morse, project manager, said: “We used to receive a lot of complaints from the public about the problems on this part of the Itchen Navigation, so are we are really pleased to get the opportunity to restore the river bank and footpath here.

“Rivers with wonderful wildlife and great public access like the Itchen Navigation are very rare, so we hope people appreciate the importance of conserving this river.”

Contractors have spent four months building up the bank and planting along the river edge to protect from erosion. They have also resurfaced the path and replaced old stiles with kissing gates. Wider ‘passing places’ have been built to make access easier for people with buggies or mobility scooters.

Access was very difficult so contractors set up a temporary monorail across the river. It proved to be an efficient way of moving materials and caused little disturbance to the highly protected river and sensitive wet meadows.

The end result is a better habitat for water vole, salmon and dragonflies, plus an improved footpath for walkers.