PEOPLE taking a stroll through Worcester woods this summer will be walking on some of the crushed remains of the former Ronkswood Hospital.
Six hundred metres of paths through Nunnery Wood have been resurfaced with the aid of a £24,000 integrated transport grant from Worcestershire County Council.
They now have a surface dressing of Forest of Dean stone laid over a hardcore of crushed brick and concrete from the demolition of the hospital.
The rubble has been a source of distress to people in one corner of Worcestershire, who see it as an eyesore and are bothered by the noise and dust from the lorries transporting it to Crabbe Yard, Wadboroug, near Pershore.
Robert Oakley, sales manager for Midland Recycling Ltd, said he was aware of disapproval and it was unfortunate its yard was out in the countryside, in such a lovely spot.
"But we are environmentally friendly and we try to recycle as much as we possibly can," he said.
"It's all recyclable material that we intend to use on our building and construction sites.
"We will probably use what we have at the moment in the next three months."
He said 60 to 70 per cent of the aggregate taken from the Ronkswood site had been transported direct to building projects, such as one at the countryside centre.
"The remainder is being stockpiled in our lawful builder's yard and, as the weather becomes progressively damper, the need for it will increase.
"If it was winter time it would all be going straight on to our sites," he said.
Mr Oakley said he was aware people thought it was doing something illegal, but its yard, which covers more than an acre, was a legitimate builder's yard, with no restriction on the height, type or quantity of building materials stored.
Gareth Wilmott, countryside sites officer for Worcester Woods Country Park, said it hoped to resurface more paths using brick rubble from the hospital.
The aim was to encourage people to walk or cycle through the wood without eroding the woodland.
"When the paths are very wet, people walk around the muddy bits and the trodden areas get wider and wider," he said.
"The brick rubble from the hospital makes an excellent base and we have finished the paths with Forest of Dean stone, because it is a reddish colour that blends with the woodland."
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