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A newly-surfaced cycle track in North Somerset is having to be repaired weeks after it was laid because weeds have started to break up the surface. The 2.2km (1.4m) section of the popular Festival Way path - between Flax Bourton and Nailsea - cost ^100,000 to upgrade from a cinder track. It is believed a late spring caused the vegetation to grow some time after the weed killer was applied to the soil. Sustainable transport charity Sustran said the path would be repaired soon.

'Late spring'

Spokeswoman Gill Harrison said the existing track was treated with a strong weed killer prior to the new surface being laid.

"Because spring came later than usual the weeds started growing some time after the weed killer was applied and so have cracked the surface. We are waiting for warmer weather when we will reapply the weed killer, let the weeds die back and then re-roll the Tarmac over the cracked surface. The cost of this repair will be minimal," she added.

Warning signs have been placed at each end of the track alerting users to the uneven surface - which is mainly at the Nailsea end.

The Connect2Bristol route is part of a bigger network of cycle tracks across the UK funded with money from the Big Lottery Fund.

End of line for boy racers

Boy racers speeding along a cycle path in their cars have reached the end of the line after a North Somerset village won its year-long battle to get bollards replaced.

Flax Bourton Parish Council, working with national cycling body Sustrans, has been lobbying North Somerset Council to re-instate concrete structures at the entrance of Station Road, which were removed when the path, which runs from Nailsea to Bristol, was resurfaced.

Writing in the parish magazine, clerk Ruth Eager said: ^During the last three months the council had received a number of complaints about a variety of dangerous incidents that had occurred on the cycle path. These included young people racing cars along the path, speeding cyclists, one of which hit a dog, and cars mistaking the path for a road, resulting in cars becoming stuck and one crashing into a lamppost.^

She said the council is pleased the bollards have now been replaced and hope it puts the brakes on it happening again. She added: ^Another issue is cyclists think they have free reign because it is a cycle path but they have to share it with pedestrians too. We want to get the message across to ride considerately^ if you get hit by a flying pushbike you are going to know it.^

Scheme manager for Sustrans, Rupert Crosbee, said they had to nag North Somerset Council to get the bollards back but it was worth it because no incidents had been reported since. He said: ^There are so many people who use it that on the whole it discourages anti-social behaviour. But we will continue to monitor the situation.^

North Somerset Council transport planning officer Kate Cochrane said: ^The bollards were removed whilst the route was being resurfaced but there was a problem with weeds coming up through it so they had to be treated before it could be repaired. We are aware residents of Rosemount Road want more signs and bollards but the route has been assessed by Sustrans and we agree not a lot more can be done at this time because it^s a shared path with plenty of signs. We will continue to talk to the parish council to see if anything more can be done.^

^100,000 to resurface a mile and a half of cycle track (that wasn't that bad before IIRC).

Still, the country's got lots of money to spend on valuable schemes like this hasn't it.