Richmond Council confirmed yesterday, 22 October, that the Richmond to Kew towpath is closed following the following the collapse of a section of the towpath on Saturday 19 October.

The Thames towpath between Richmond Lock and Kew Gardens car park on Ferry Lane is entirely closed.

Fencing has been installed at either end and the council asks that residents and visitors do not to make any attempt to access the towpath, at any time as it is not safe.

Diversions are now in place, including:

• For towpath walkers and cyclists, a route is shown on the map on the opposite side of the river, crossing at Richmond Lock
• For a more direct route to Kew, pedestrians and cyclists can take Kew Road

View the alternative route map here.

Richmond Council will spend more time on site in the coming days to continue to assess the situation.

Its priority is to make the site secure and then begin clearing.

The council is also liaising with the Environment Agency, Port of London Authority, National Trail and the Royal Mid Surrey Golf Club to assess solutions and minimise further impact to the public.

Its engineers will carry out further investigation, then design and implement a solution as soon as possible.