New Strawberry Line pathway extension opens

The new bridge in Cheddar has opened up more of the Strawberry Line

A new bridge and section of a walking and cycling path has opened in Somerset.

The Strawberry Line link, a traffic-free pathway, has been extended from Cheddar reservoir to the Draycott Park estate.

The project team said it is the fifth new bridge built on the former Great Western Railway line, which was used for transporting strawberries in the 1960s, in the past three years with plans to expand the line further across Somerset.

Negotiations are ongoing with landowners between Wells and Shepton Mallet which may lead to the line being extended further.

Mick Fletcher, chair of the Strawberry Line Society, said the "important link" will enable people to get from one side of the village "to the other without having to navigate the traffic".

He added: "Children will be able to go to school on their bikes or on foot whereas you would be reluctant to let younger children go along the main road."

The railway line was closed in 1963 as part of the Beeching cuts, which saw a reduction of the UK rail network and severed thousands of miles of track.

Somerset Council has been working to upgrade "missing links" across the county with various new sections at Shepton Mallet, Wells and Sandford opened in the past few years.

It wants to encourage people to walk and cycle more to reduce congestion and pollution levels.

The Kings Academy Strawberry Line path bridge crosses the Cheddar Yeo river

"This a large statement, about our intention to make active travel more of a possibility for people in Somerset," he added.

A spokesperson for the Strawberry Line project said the extension of the route, which begins at Yatton railway station, will also be a "vital link" in efforts to close the remaining gaps of the path between Cheddar and Shepton Mallet.