WALKERS are putting their own lives at risk by using a dangerous path where a wall is on the verge of collapsing, a council boss said.

The footpath is alongside a 20ft retaining wall which supports a housing development in Weir and has been closed due to the unsafe wall.

A barrier was installed by Lancashire County Council to stop people accessing the path at Weir Bottom Farm Footbridge, but it has been vandalised to clear the way.

People are ignoring notices indicating the precarious state of the wall and are now continuing to walk alongside the tall gabion structure running alongside Lynn's Court, the housing estate off Beaufort Road.

David Goode, the public rights of way manager for Lancashire County Council said: “We don't take decisions like this lightly.

“But we had to close the footpath near to Beaufort Road because a retaining wall, built to contain the large volumes of soil which are next to the path, began to lean dangerously earlier this year.

“The wall could cause serious injury to anyone using the footpath if it collapses.“ “We are working closely with Rossendale Borough Council, whose building control team are looking into the issue."

The footpath forms part of the Irwell Sculpture Trail which starts in Salford and ends at the River Irwell’s source in the moors above Weir.

When the housing estate was developed, the footpath was diverted to the edge of the site and the wall, consisting of caged stones, was created next to the path to support the soil.

The footpath closure was put in place in June for six months and no alternative route has been suggested.