WALKERS and nature enthusiasts in Westbury can now make greater use of The Mead after £6,000 has been spent to improve footpaths at the site.

The popular walking area had become virtually impassable due to mud and water making the footpaths almost non-existent.

But after nearly two years of planning and less than a month of building, the footpaths have recently been completed.

Chairman of Westbury Area Board David Jenkins said: “It’s been a troublesome area for quite some time because it is a marshy, boggy type of area but it has the ponds and wild animals so it’s good for people to walk around.

“The path there was marshy and boggy and in order for people to use it we had to get a grant from the area board to improve the footpath.

“In the end we have got it properly laid so that it goes all the way around the lakes and on to other footpath trails and nearby fields.”

The project is just one of several that are taking place in The Mead, as further funding from the area board has seen the replacement of traditional styles for more accessible kissing gates.

It is hoped both projects will allow people with mobility issues to use the area and that it will become a hotspot which the community can use and enjoy.

Cllr Jenkins added: “I’ve been around it several times since it was finished and it will be a community benefit for people to walk around and in fact enjoy the area.

“At the minute I don’t think many people other than those who live locally know about the new paths but I think as people become more aware of it they will start to use it more.

“It’s a mini sort of nature walk that will hopefully benefit the community.”