Council vows safety improvements to be made around Peterborough bridge where nurses attacked

Peterborough City Council has confirmed that it will take action over the concerns of nurses after a series of attacks on and around a footbridge in the city.

The footbridge connects the Middleton area of Bretton to Peterborough City Hospital.

Major concerns have ben raised by a group of workers at the hospital following four nurses, all hailing from the Kerala area of India, having been attacked using the bridge following a shift in the past year.

The most recent attack is understood to have taken place in the last two weeks, leaving the victim with a fractured jaw.

The group has now called for increased lighting and the instillation of CCTV in the area.

The council has pledged to look into the issue and push National Highways to take actions over the lack of lighting in the area.

A council spokeswoman said: “Several site visits have already taken place to assess what improvements could be made to improve lighting on the bridge including a meeting there last Thursday with police and hospital trust staff.

“The lighting columns on the A47 are the responsibility of National Highways and so we will be speaking to them to see if any changes could be made to how this section of the road is illuminated.

“The current lighting on the footbridge is in keeping with other footbridges across the city, however given the ongoing concerns we are looking into what could be done to help users feel safer when using it.”

Peterborough MP Paul Bristow has joined calls for safety improvements in the area.

He added: “Clearly, such occurrences are deeply alarming and require urgent safety improvements.

“It is evident that action needs to be taken by the council to address these concerns, including the removal of overgrown bushes, improved lighting, and the installation of CCTV.”