Call to fix station bridge after woman falls

8 hours ago

Alice CunninghamSuffolk

News image — Anna Walker was injured at Woodbridge station

Vikki Irwin/BBC Steps leading up to a footbridge. The bridge has grey metal railings and yellow handrails, and some of its paint is discoloured. — Anna Walker was injured at Woodbridge station

A woman has called for work to be carried out on a railway station footbridge after she slipped and fell, leaving her with bruises.

Part of a bridge at Woodbridge station had previously been shut for safety improvements, but the work did not include an adjoining part of the bridge.

Anna Walker, 43, who lives in the town, was hurt when she slipped on it recently.

A spokesperson for Greater Anglia and Network Rail Anglia said the bridge was "regularly inspected to maintain safety standards".

Contributed A woman takes a selfie as she stands outside. She has dark hair with the front sections dyed a vibrant red colour. She has red glasses and a nose ring and is wearing a white and navy striped top. Behind her is a large bush and a window of a building. — Anna Walker said she had never had a fall before

Walker recently planned to visit her son in Norwich by train.

As the bridge inside the station that links the platforms was closed, she used the other one which runs over the whole station.

"It was raining and I don't generally have any problems with stairs," she explained.

"When I put my foot down, I slipped on it and fell down quite a few stairs to the bottom.

"I just thought it was really strange because I don't usually have falls."

Vikki Irwin/BBC A view along the top of a footbridge. It is lined with metal fences and there are black handrails on both sides. — Improvements have recently been made to the bridge, but not where Anna Walker fell

Walker said people helped her, and she was told she was not the first to fall there.

"When I looked at the bridge I thought... the spaces between the stairs don't even look even," she said.

"There are a lot of elderly people in Woodbridge and children who use it, and I was thinking [that] had it been somebody else it could have had much worse consequences."

As well as suffering ripped clothing, she was badly bruised and struggled to sit comfortably for several weeks.

Ben Parker/BBC A head and shoulders image of a woman wearing a black jacket with a yellow rosette pinned to a lapel. She is wearing a necklace with a green pendant and smiling while looking into the camera. Her glasses are on her head. — Ruth Leach is "deeply, deeply concerned" about the state of the bridge

Ruth Leach, the county council member for Woodbridge, said she was aware of a second person falling on the bridge recently, and she had seen a third person fall last October.

"I am deeply, deeply concerned about this," she said.

"I've been trying to get some action from Network Rail since about July last year... I've submitted numerous requests, some of which I don't even get a response to, to actually get something done about this half of the railway bridge."

Leach said she had pointed out the issues on the bridge, including uneven surfaces and rotting wood, but she had been told by Network Rail the bridge was fit for purpose.

Vikki Irwin/BBC A shot down bridge steps looking towards the ground. The steps are black and the edges are yellow. They are lined by a grey handrail. — Greater Anglia and Network Rail say safety is their "first priority"

The Greater Anglia and Network Rail spokesperson said."The footbridge at Woodbridge is regularly inspected to maintain safety standards and ensure it remains in a usable condition.

"We are concerned to hear that a customer has encountered issues while using the bridge. We would encourage them to contact us directly so we can understand what happened.

"Ensuring we provide and operate a safe railway for all who use it is our first priority."

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