Box Hill steps repaired to offer sustainable access

Over £53,000 was allocated to the project to refurbish 300 steps

Steps up to the iconic Box Hill in the Surrey Hills National Landscape have been refurbished as part of a £53,000 project.

Surrey County Council said the steps - which were installed by volunteers in the 1980s - had become eroded, with visitors often detouring onto "slippery and dangerous" terrain.

It said the rebuilt steps - which link the Stepping Stones path to the summit - would help protect the site's biodiversity and "residents and visitors to access the popular beauty spot in a more sustainable way".

Funding for the upgrade was provided by the North Downs Way National Trail, through the Interreg Experience Fund, as well as Natural England and the council.

Marisa Heath, council cabinet member for the environment, said the steps offered people "a choice to travel via public transport and safely climb up to the famous viewpoint without the need to bring a car and without disturbing wildlife by coming over the created path".

The new steps were made using about 15 tonnes (15,000kg) of recycled plastic, manufactured from more than seven million milk bottle tops.

The "challenging" location meant much of the work had to be done by hand, with materials carried daily to the site over a three-month, the council said.

A floating pontoon was also installed across the River Mole to help get materials to the site.

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