PRUDHOE residents are on the warpath at the closure of one of the town’s well-used woodland walks.

A public footpath through Humbles Wood will be closed from January 30 to July 30 this year.

Notices from Northumberland County Council advising residents of the temporary closure have recently gone up in the town.

The notice states that the closure is at the request of Gentoo Homes in the interests of public safety.

The developer is currently in the process of building the Cottiers Grange development in the area and says the closure is to allow for works to the sewer and diversion of the high-voltage main.

However residents are concerned that no alternative route has been provided during the six-month closure.

Ken Paterson said: “I’ve used the route for 25 years and they’re just going to bar it off with no consultation.

“It’s been used by a lot of people for years and years and is the nicest walk in Prudhoe.

“There are streams running through it and a series of little bridges; it’s a beautiful area.

“I’m very angry. If they provided an alternative then fair enough, but six months without one is unacceptable.”

Leader of Prudhoe Conservatives Gordon Stewart says he has also been contacted by people concerned about the footpaths in the Old Prudhoe Hospital site.

He said: “After discussing this with Gentoo, I have been reassured that these are only temporary measures to ensure the safety of the public.

“I am delighted that Gentoo will be delivering information leaflets to households in Prudhoe providing additional information.”

Gentoo Homes says the infrastructure works are part of the major Cottiers Grange development on the site.

Managing director of Gentoo Homes Colin Wood said: “With public safety our top priority, we are therefore having to temporarily close the footpath which cuts across our site.

“We understand that this will be disruptive for some local residents who use the footpath to access the burn and apologise for any inconvenience we are causing.

“Once the infrastructure works are complete, local residents will benefit from safer access to the burn, as we are installing a new set of steps.

“We intend to keep local residents informed with our progress and continue to welcome any suggestions on how we can minimise disruption for people in the area.”