TOWN councillors in Marlborough have been taken to task by one of their own members for not patrolling allocated footpaths to ensure they are not blocked.

Coun Bryan Castle is the footpaths co-ordinator for the town council and on Monday he singled out Coun Marian Hannaford to praise her report stating that Footpath 15 from Roughdown Cottage on the Rockley road to the Preshute parish boundary was overgrown at its Free's Avenue end.

Coun Hannaford presented a written report on her inspection, saying that having forced her way though overgrown vegetation at the Free's Avenue end, she walked down through the valley towards Bay Bridges. "Having fought my way through waist high weeds to the front of me I continued around a very large fallow field for some way until I came up against shoulder length brambles and stinging nettles with the river behind them. I retraced my steps and found a small footbridge covered completely with weeds and the handrail broken off and thrown in the river."

She added: "The whole site at Bay Bridges is most unpleasant and disgustingly filthy, a complete eyesore."

Coun Castle told Monday's meeting of the recreation and amenities committee each councillor has a list of the paths they were meant to inspect. He said: "It is a shame not all councillors walk their paths as well as Marian Hannaford did."