Surrey council removes beauty spot's stepping stones in health and safety crackdown
Epsom and Ewell Borough Council has voted to replace the stones on the River Hogsmill with an expensive footbridge
A Surrey council has voted to remove river stepping stones from a popular beauty spot over fears they could lead to people slipping.
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The stones, which stretch across the Hogsmill River out of South West London, will be replaced with a £100,000 footbridge after an investigation by the Environment Agency found they posed a public safety risk.
Epsom and Ewell Borough Council (EEBC) was told it would need to accept legal responsibility for the stones, or remove them altogether.
The council's environmental committee voted to remove the crossing after concluding the legal risk of keeping them was too great.
The stones, which date back to 1983, are regularly submerged underwater, giving rise to concerns that people might slip on them.
The council also said that the eroded steps leading to the river were dangerous.
Last Tuesday, councillors voted to replace them with a footbridge, above other measures such as putting up warning signs and handrails at a cost of less than £1,000.
Councillor Liz Frost, chair of the EEBC environment committee, said the council had "explored a range of options" and that the footbridge offered the "best long-term solution".
She admitted that some people would "feel disappointed" but that a footbridge would "provide a safer and more stable/reliable crossing" to enable "people of all ages and levels of mobility to continue enjoying this beautiful setting for many years to come".
At the council meeting on Tuesday, Deputy Mayor Julie Morris said she hadn't "really heard anybody speak in favour of getting rid of the stepping stones entirely".
"I think there are good solutions suggested that deal with better access, but also deal with the fun of being able to cross that part of the river," she said.
Labour councillor Rob Geleit said there was "always an element of risk in places where children play, especially when there's water" but added he would "hate to see the stepping stones gone".
However councillor Rachel King warned the legal risk of accepting liability was too great.
She said that even if the council put up signs warning of the slippage risk, "you're still responsible if somebody hurts themselves".
"You cannot sign your way out of liability," she added.
The committee voted to remove the stones and installing a footbridge by a margin of five to eight.
The Hogsmill River is one of 200 chalk streams in the world and home to rare birds such as kingfishers and other birds and plants.