Angry residents have blasted their council for wasting £16million on a bridge for walkers and cyclists that "leads to nowhere"."

Worcester locals were promised a new footbridge with scenic paths leading to the city aimed at getting more people outdoors.

But users of the Kepax Bridge - which spans the River Severn – say it is "pointless" and is surrounded on both sides by a muddy quagmire."

Cyclists say the western side of the bridge is so boggy they need "wellies and waders" with many opting to ride along the busy A443 instead."

Work on the bridge was completed on December 5 last year with officials promising easy access for walkers and cyclists into the city.

Worcestershire County Council hoped the bridge would reduce road traffic and help students cycle to lectures at the city's university.

But locals say the site is a "dangerous mess" and have blasted the Tory-run council for funding the bridge over much-needed flood defences."

Grandfather Tony Westcott, 77, who lives nearby, said: "We think it's a bridge to nowhere, it doesn't serve any purpose for us. "

"It's not completed over the other side, and we keep hearing rumours that the council have run out of money for the project. "

"All of this money could have been used to help us all on the flood plain, but they built this instead. It's baffling."

"It's just a muddy path over the other side. "

"We live along the flood plain the council could have used the money to protect people's properties by investing in flood defences."

"The bridge looks impressive visually but when you get up close you realise it's just a shiny white elephant."

"It's another issue for cyclists, it was billed as much as it is for them as walkers. "

"They go over and they have to come straight back again. "

"They have to cycle on the busy road or go on the pavements which people will moan about just to do the loop."

"I don't know anyone who likes it."

"We've been over it twice, but there's no reason to go over it. Unless you've got wellies and waders, it's pointless because of the deep mud."

Retired AA mechanic Andy Dainty, 73, regularly crosses the bridge with his wife Lillian, 72.

Andy said: "The unfinished path is the biggest problem here, I saw this problem before the bridge was built, we know it would happen."

"To walk over the new bridge and back along the race course is not too bad, but to cycle it is not good. "

"It's dangerous, especially for young children. "

"The path is virtually non-existent and it's still covered in the residue from the winter floods. "

"Once you cross the bridge you're treading through broken trees and thick mud over uneven ground. It's pretty much unpassable in places."

"The link to this side of Worcester is good but the infrastructure isn't in place to make it viable. It looks like a warzone at the moment."

Retired West Mercia Police support worker Lillian added: "I wouldn't go over the bridge and use that route. "

"We cycle and we've tried the road and that's just dangerous, getting back up it is impossible."

"The pathway is bad, too. You can't walk or cycle down there."

Meanwhile long-term resident Ian Hilton-Turvey, 64, says the bridge is useful for cyclists like him.

The business consultant said: "There's a constant flow of people spaced out, and there's never really anyone here. "

"I cycle across and cycling works. There's a gentleman coming across in his mobility scooter."

"Folk are saying aesthetically it's good for the area, good for them and the community in general, and it's not a bad thing to look at. "

"It is true that on either side of the bridge the path is only passable with great care. "

"It's a country path and you need to know what you're doing and need to hold onto a bit of fence. "

"It isn't a level path, but it's a country path. How mollycoddled do we have to be?"

Local group Bike Worcester has even blasted the project, saying vital parts of shoring up the pathways either side have been overlooked.

Chair of the group Dan Brothwell said: "It seems like some of the easier bits around the edges, that are actually really important to make [the bridge] a success, have been overlooked."

Karen Lewing, a Green Party city councillor, branded the whole project "a bit pointless."

She said: "In the scoping of the project they thought this was on the too hard to do list."

The council admitted the area need landscaping but declared the project a "huge success" with "many thousands" of people using it."

A spokesperson said added: "Kepax Bridge has been a huge success since it opened on 5th December 2024, with many thousands of people using the walkway between the east and west sides of Worcester. A new path has been installed on the west side of the river, linking the bridge to Hallow Road and beyond."

"The path along the river towards Ferry Bank is prone to flooding, particularly in the autumn and winter, and typically dries out in the spring. "

"Although the path is used by some walkers, it is not a defined public right of way, so is not maintainable by our Public Rights of Way team. "

"Signage is in place to advise people using the path."