A grandfather has voiced concern over a 'hazardous' riverbank after his two-year-old granddaughter slipped into the water.

Ron Deamer, a grandfather from Loudwater, said four of his grandchildren have nearly slipped into the river in Loudwater Park on Station Road as a result of "hazardous" riverbank erosion.

"Two of my grandchildren, one of them just two-years-old, have actually fallen into the river after slipping down the bank.

"There's a concrete block with lots of overgrown vegetation surrounding it which is causing a trip hazard and is concealing slippery eroded sides."

Ron said his grandkids have sustained grazes from falling into the river and described the concrete block as a "trip hazard".

"People say, 'Oh, well, if they'd been supervised responsibly, they wouldn't have gone in', but I've been coming her for 40-odd years with my kids and now with my grandkids. 

"This hasn't happened before now. And it's a lovely spot so it'll be a shame if nothing is done about it.

"The park isn't fenced in either and there is a busy road going past, so now there are multiple ways children could come to harm."

Bucks Free Press:

While Chepping Wycombe Parish Council are responsible for Loudwater Park, Buckinghamshire Council manage the upkeep of riverbanks across the county.

Ron said he has struggled to effectively communicate with either body, but is keen to spread awareness about the dangers to prevent a more serious incident from occurring.

"I think they should try to build up the concrete block or fill in the eroded ground. I'd like somebody who really knows about building to come and look at it and recommend a course of action. I just think something should be done."

In a letter seen by the Bucks Free Press, John Chilver, cabinet member for accessible housing and resources at Buckinghamshire Council said a surveyor had been commissioned to visit the site.

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He said: "Our officers advise that the vegetation on the riverbank provides a natural physical boundary between the river and the playground and is a deterrent which protects against further erosion.

"We do not accept that the concrete structure is a trip hazard because it would not be possible to trip over it unconsciously. Neither do we accept that the area is dangerous due to the river, because a river is only dangerous if you do not know what it is.

“Given that we have had no other complaints about this location, or injury claims related to rivers, increased supervision of the site would be hard to justify."

He added that the council "reserved the right to defer to the Environmental Agency on this matter" but said they would "continue to monitor and manage the site in accordance with existing protocols."