A HORSE rider says a bridle path is 'more suited to hippos' after a burst water pipe left it in a treacherous state.
The path, in Jackets Lane, was reported by keen horsewoman Maureen Horwood after she encountered difficulties attempting to negotiate the swamp-like conditions.
She said: "There is a broken drainage pipe under the path and the damaged path has turned into a quagmire, which is currently about four feet deep, of thick mud.
"This reaches up to the knees of most horses and makes it incredibly dangerous to try and pass.
"Smaller ponies cannot make it through due to the depth of the mud."
Ms Horwood sent the Gazette a photo of her horse attempting to trot around the muddy hazard as it did not want to risk going through it.
She said: "We contacted the council, who said it was a priority repair, but lo and behold, now they say there is no money left in their budget to repair it."
Ms Horwood said she knew of a case where a local authority had to pay £12,000 in damages to a rider who was injured as a result of a similar problem.
The path leads to Ducks Hill Road, Ruislip, and Ms Horwood describes it as the 'only safe way' to reach the large network of bridle paths around Ruislip Lido and Ruislip Woods.
Mary Worrall, Hillingdon Council's head of highways and green spaces, said: "A contractor will be fixing the pipe which is causing the problem, removing the mud and resurfacing the path by the end of May."
