A CAMPAIGNING councillor is pushing for a popular Uppermill footpath to be fixed and reopened more than two years after it was closed off to the public.
In January 2014, Cllr Graham Sheldon donated around £700 from his council allowance so the path between Spring Street and Carr Lane could be spruced up.
But just 48 hours later, the footpath was closed after heavy wind and rain eroded sections of the footpath and caused a landslide from adjacent land.
Trees which had crashed down across the path and the river were removed in the interest of public safety but the path remained closed as it was unsafe to use due to erosion.
Now, Cllr Sheldon has approached the Saddleworth and Lees District Partnership for help after a notice was erected stating the footpath will remain closed until December this year.
Cllr Sheldon, who has been supported on the project by Cllr John McCann, said: “The footpath has been closed for a long time now now so we need to get things moving.
“The notice has just gone up saying it will be closed until December but that really isn’t acceptable. A lot of people used that footpath and it needs to be sorted and reopened.
“I know part of it is on private land so there are some legal complications to sort out before it can be opened again but it can and should be done quicker.”
The Saddleworth and Lees District Partnership gave their backing to Cllr Sheldon’s plea and agreed to write to Oldham Council to see what can be done.
Cllr John Hudson, Chair of the District Partnership, said: “It is an awful length of time for the popular footpath to be closed and it is time now to put things right.”
A spokesman for Oldham Council said: “The council do not own the land on which the footpath is situated and there is no registered owner at Land Registry. There are still erosion issues.
“The footpath closure has been extended until December this year due to safety and between now and then officers are working to resolve the situation.”
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