Man’s anger at blocked road in Biggleswade

Richard Wilmot, who lives close to the King’s Reach development in Biggleswade says Taylor Wimpey has made his daily commute to work almost impossible.

The cottage is one of four located close to Hitchmead Road and Dunton Road, and is usually accessed via a bridleway.

But Richard, 56, claims that since October last year the bridleway has been completely inaccessible to the cottage owners – and that the developer should have sought their permission before blocking it off for its own use.

He said: “It says in my deeds that if any outside party needs to close off the bridleway then they need to seek the permission of the people who live in the cottages first.

“They did not do that and for the last four months it has made my life very difficult as a result.”

Richard says that the bypass the developer has built as an alternative is also not fit for purpose.

He added: “They have built this bypass while they use the bridleway for access but it has been very difficult for me to use.

“I ride a motorbike to London to do my job and the surface has been appalling – first it was gravel and then they put tarmac down but that keeps crumbling away.”

A Taylor Wimpey spokesman said: “The King’s Reach consortium has fulfilled its responsibility to provide a diversion of the track to allow residents of the cottages a safe and reasonable alternative access to their properties.

“We have received no complaints from any of the other residents about this arrangement, and we have acted entirely within the law in putting the diversion in place.”