Cycle paths too dangerous to ride after North East floods

A cycle blogger has highlighted bike paths in the North East that have been left dangerously unrideable after widespread flooding in the area.

Simon Forster contacted road.cc with photos of the damage to well-used stretches inclunding Bowes and Tanfield cycle paths. He has contacted Gateshead Council and warns cyclists to take extreme care, as dangers include 4-foot potholes and a trench running the full length of a tunnel.

The Tanfield railway path connects Tanfield with Teams over a four mile route, and the Bowes path skirts Gateshead to Wardley.

The environment secretary Caroline Spelman visited Gateshead yesterday to see the cleanup works in progress. 2,500 homes were without electricity last week and engineers worked over the weekend to repair sections of railway track that were swept away by the floods.