A popular walking route near Stone has reopened after almost three years, following the completion of a new footbridge across the River Trent at Burston.
The crossing forms part of Sandon and Burston Public Footpath 36 and the Two Saints Way. The route has been closed since autumn 2023 after the previous bridge was dislodged into the river. ALBOS first reported on the closure in June 2024.
Staffordshire County Council says it has invested more than £100,000 in the replacement, which is larger than the previous crossing and has been designed to be more resilient to flooding.
The reopening brings to an end a lengthy process to restore the route.
After the damaged bridge was recovered from the river in May 2025, inspections found that repairing it would not be cost effective. Plans were initially made for a temporary crossing while a permanent replacement was developed, but wet ground conditions contributed to further delays.
Work on the permanent replacement eventually began in July, with the new bridge lifted into position earlier this month.
Hayley Coles, Staffordshire County Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture, said
“We know how important this route is to the local community, which is why we wanted to invest in a bigger and stronger bridge that will allow people to enjoy this beautiful part of Staffordshire for many years to come.
“I want to say a huge thank you to the local community for their incredible patience throughout this project.”
Hugo Wildblood, Chairman of Sandon and Burston Parish Council, welcomed the reopening.
He said
“This bridge is going to last us a lot longer than the previous one, which is really good. This bridge looks tremendous. I’m very pleased with it and I’m sure a lot of other people are going to be using it very regularly.
“Thank you very much, Staffordshire County Council.”
Nigel Bowden who has campaigned for the re-opening of the bridge told A Little Bit of Stone:
“I’m very pleased that the Aston To Burston trail footbridge has been replaced to ensure the public footpath is now available again. It’s been an overly long process, and I have been disappointed by Staffordshire County Council’s slow response in restoring the bridge.
I believe they need to review their Public Rights of Way reporting and response process to ensure it provides timely, consistent and accurate responses to those, like myself, who report issues.
The lack of communication and transparency around this issue has been extremely frustrating over the past two years.”
With the work now complete, the closure of Footpath 36 between the River Trent and Burston Lane has been lifted and the route is once again open to walkers.
