Access improvements to the Spen Valley Greenway have been completed

Part of an off-road ‘green corridor’ in West Yorkshire has reopened following work to improve access for people using wheelchairs and buggies.

Charity Sustrans said it had worked with Bradford and Kirklees Councils to improve access and surfacing on a section of the Spen Valley Greenway.

The 2.5-mile (4 km) section between Victoria Park in Oakenshaw and Whitechapel Road in Cleckheaton has reopened to the public, Sustrans said.

The Spen Valley Greenway is a former railway line that ran from Dewsbury to Oakenshaw, near Bradford, and forms part of what is known as National Route 66.

Sustrans said the upgrade works included improving access to Laithe Hall Avenue and Green Lane to help people with wheelchairs, prams or adapted bikes access the route more easily.

Sarah Bradbury, senior project officer at Sustrans, said the path was one of the “most popular community routes”.

“These improvements will help many more people use the trail, especially those in wheelchairs or pushchairs,” she said.

“The surface is smoother and wider and it’s easier to get in and out of the trail.”

Sustrans is the UK charity that created the National Cycle Network and owns and maintains the Spen Valley Greenway.

Funding for the improvements came from the Department for Transport as part of its national Paths for Everyone programme.

Kirklees Council said the work would provide a “safe and enjoyable route” and help more people choose more sustainable and active forms of transport.