West St Helen Street remains closed for a few days more

6 Replies

Gas Gas
West St Helen Street remains quiet following a further extension of the emergency road closure outside St Helen’s Church.

Oxfordshire County Council says the closure has now been extended until 6 February 2026.

Residents on the street seem to be enjoying the peace, and the absence of traffic queues. The High Street also seems quieter. For people travelling in from South Abingdon, however, the diversion is less welcome and I have heard people complaining about the time it takes to get into town.

The reason for the extension is unclear. The van in the photograph is not from SGN (the gas contractor) but from Abingdon Town Council, whose staff were working in the churchyard, cutting back ivy.

P.S Work has resumed today (29th January) using a lorry with a large drill that has managed to get down deeper round the old gas pipes. So it looks like progress was waiting on that.
Gas Gas

 

Abingdon Weir Walkway Warnings

Leave a reply

Water Water
The Environment Agency said in early October that the weir walkway will remain open until river flows increase, but the supporting structure still needs refurbishment to reach full strength. Because of this, the walkway remains at risk of temporary closure during high flows or when construction work begins.
Water Water
Today there are multiple signs warning that the weir walkway is closed, with river levels now at their highest since that announcement was made.
Water Water
And when you get close the weir walkway is closed.

For anyone who will miss seeing the rush of water over the weir, here is a short video taken a couple of days ago.

River Water on Rye Meadow and Hales Meadow in Abingdon

Leave a reply

Water Water
The level of the River Thames in Abingdon has been slowly rising over the last four or five days.
Water Water
It has not flooded Rye Meadow completely, but has spread some way across and created pools.
Water Water
On the cricket ground at Hales Meadow, pools are large enough to give reflections of the cricket pavilion. Instead of its former white exterior, the pavilion now has cladding. I’m not sure when that happened.
Water Water
Nearby is the ground of Abingdon Town FC, said to be the 24th oldest football club in the world, according to footballhistory.org. The familiar sign by the ground looks overgrown, which makes me wonder what is the current state of play?

Long standing safety issue on footbridge

7 Replies

safety issue
There are four separate reports on FixMyStreet relating to the deteriorating surface of the footbridge over the River Ock, which links the Ock Valley Walk to the rear entrance of Tower Close. Taken together, they point to a structure that has been unsafe for at least six months.
safety issue
Reports dating back to August 2025 describe exposed boards, widening gaps and broken sections of decking on what is not only a footbridge but also part of a cycle route. By December, one walker reported their foot going through the bridge deck, noting that holes ‘regularly appear’ and describing the bridge as being in a ‘dire condition’. A further report later that month warned of a 20 cm square hole in the centre of the bridge, with the surrounding surface bouncing freely, suggesting that there was little or no support beneath. The repeated use of heavy-duty plastic coverings appears to have been a temporary measure, masking rather than resolving the underlying deterioration.
safety issue
When I went over the bridge today, there was again an exposed hole in the deck, clearly visible, A foot could easily slip through the surface.

Yesterday, a concerned parent told me that this bridge is used by numerous schoolchildren every school day and asked me to put it on the blog. He said concerns have apparently been raised directly with district councillors but there has been no effective response.

I believed when I wrote this that the bridge was the responsibility of Vale of White Horse District Council (VWHDC) as it was the VWHDC end of the Ock Valley Walk. But I am told by the Tithe Farm and Ladygrove Newsletter that it is Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) and the local councillor, Neil Fawcett had been chasing the council on this on their behalf.