Lib Dem councillors and campaigners expose chaos of East-West Rail construction in North Bucks

The ongoing construction works to re-open the railway between Winslow and Bletchley as part of East West Rail has been causing chaos for many residents living nearby. Roads have been closed at short notice, often for weeks on end, considerably increasing journey times for local villagers.

Footpaths, bridleways and cycleways have similarly been closed, and in some cases will remain closed for more than two years.

Mursley-based Lib Dem campaigner Andrew Jones takes up the story, he says:

'Official footpath closure notices posted on trees and beside footpaths have been virtually unintelligible, often running to six pages of legal jargon with hard to decipher maps.

'Amongst those hardest hit have been residents of Newton Longville, Mursley, Little Horwood and Swanbourne.

'In addition, the clearance of many trees and plants during the nesting season has been a tragedy for local wildlife and may well be illegal.'

Important cycleway stays open due to efforts of Winslow councillor Llew Monger

In this chaos, the closure of National Cycle Route 51 running alongside the railway between Mursley, Swanbourne and Little Horwood was a blow for local walkers, horse riders, cyclists and those using wheelchairs.

Winslow Lib Dem Councillor Llew Monger, working with residents, was able to persuade East-West Rail to temporarily re-open this important path so that it could continue to be enjoyed during lockdown.

Llew Monger said:

'The way that the contractors have been carrying out the East-West Rail works has been heavy-handed and insensitive. As a party we are in favour of this new transport route but not to the detriment of popular cycle routes and important natural habitats.

'Our councillors and campaigners will continue to monitor the behaviour of East-West Rail and hold them to account at every opportunity'