THE Duke of Northumberland's River and the River Crane are becoming blocked with rubbish and the footpaths badly overgrown, Twickenham MP Vincent Cable claimed this week.

Dr Cable said neglect by the Environment Agency and <a href="http://WWW.RICHMOND.GOV.UK">Richmond council</a> has caused the footpaths to become so overgrown that long standing pedestrian walkways are blocked.

The Duke of Northumberland's river is the responsibility of the Environment Agency, while <a href="http://WWW.RICHMOND.GOV.UK">Richmond Council</a> is responsible for the banks and watercourse of the River Crane in the borough of Richmond.

He highlighted in particular, that where the Duke Of Northumberland's River flows through Whitton and behind Harlequins Rugby Ground off the Chertsey Road, the pathways are so overgrown they are impassable.

He also claimed that the pathways beside the River Crane in Twickenham, which are the responsibility of the council, have become a large bed of nettles punctuated by tipped rubbish.'

Dr Cable said: "What seems to have happened is that the government's Environment Agency and the council have stopped the regular cycle of maintenance and pathways have become overgrown and impassable, destroying a much valued local amenity."

He added: "Worse, the rivers themselves are becoming full of accumulated rubbish leading to a greater risk of flooding.

"The council officers tell me they have plans to restore some maintenance pending a decision in November and I am pursuing the Environment Agency to live up to its name."

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: "We are solely responsible for the river, not the footpaths, their maintenance is the responsibility of <a href="http://WWW.RICHMOND.GOV.UK">Richmond Council</a>."

She said within the next six to eight weeks the agency's flood defence operation team will be doing annual work on the Whitton brook, which is a tributary of the River Crane.

A spokesman for <a href="http://WWW.RICHMOND.GOV.UK">Richmond council</a> said: "Crane Park is a nature conservation area and has been so for many years.

"This inevitably means that that the level of management is less than would be the case for a formal park.

"At present all the footpaths are cut back in June and September to a distance of one metre on either side. Hay cutting also takes place throughout the park in the larger areas of grassland in September.

"However, following recent concerns raised by residents it was agreed by the council that the September hay cut and path clearance should be brought forward to August.

"This work was started last week and should now be completed."