WALKING along the historic link between Ipswich and Stowmarket is now easier following an overhaul of a riverside footpath.Improvements to the Gipping Valley river path near Stowmarket and Sproughton have been completed by Suffolk County Council ready for the spring and summer.

WALKING along the historic link between Ipswich and Stowmarket is now easier following an overhaul of a riverside footpath.

Improvements to the Gipping Valley river path near Stowmarket and Sproughton have been completed by Suffolk County Council ready for the spring and summer.

Extensive repairs and resurfacing works have been carried out to make the path more accessible for walkers.

The paths' increased popularity had led to erosion problems that have been made worse by flash floods during the autumn and winter.

Several kilometres of the route have now been widened and resurfaced by the county council's rights of way team and the Gipping Valley Project.

This will make the path more accessible in wet weather and also make it easier to use for pushchair users and people with mobility problems.

The work has also been carried out using materials recycled from local road improvement schemes.

Ros Scott, county councillor for Bosmere and chair of the Gipping Valley Advisory Panel, said: "The Gipping Valley River Path is an extremely popular medium-distance route. These improvements are a good example of how the county council and the Gipping Valley Project are working hard to promote access to the countryside. This is particularly important following the impact of Foot and Mouth disease on rural tourism."

The River Gipping was a vital link as barges and other boats carried trade and raw materials between Ipswich docks and Stowmarket, enjoying its heyday during the 19th industrial era.