Bridge badly damaged in landslip at Bishopstone Glen, Herne Bay
11:36, 22 June 2021
updated: 08:48, 23 June 2021
A landslip at a beauty spot has caused severe damage to a bridge.
Bishopstone Glen, a popular wooded area near the coast in Herne Bay, suffered from landslides earlier this year and heavy rain in the past week has worsened the situation.
The earthfall has disrupted the structure holding up the walkway and ripped fencing from its place.
The area has been prone to multiple landslips in recent months, with engineers fencing off the section of footpath which has now crumbled.
Previously, people were ignoring the safety warnings by moving barriers and breaking the fence locks that were erected around the damaged footpath by the council.
Bishopstone Glen, which leads down to the coast near Reculver and is a popular walking spot, is recognised as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
The area is predominantly made up of London Clay.
City council spokesman Rob Davies said: "We are very concerned to see there have been further landslips at Bishopstone Glen in recent days, following previous incidents earlier this year.
"Our engineers are visiting the Glen regularly to monitor the situation. Although the bridge itself is still standing, its supports have been exposed and this will cause it to be unpredictably unstable.
"The area is not safe for the public to visit and we have put fencing in place to prevent access, but unfortunately this has been smashed down or had locks cut on several occasions. We strongly urge people to respect the closure in order to maintain public safety.
"We are currently considering options to manage the area, both in the immediate future given the seriousness of the situation, but also for the longer term.
"There is lots of public interest in what is one of the most picturesque parts of the district, and we are committed to working with local residents on its future.
"But we also want to stress that safety is our number one priority and we will not hesitate to take any steps necessary in order to achieve this."