CAMPAIGNING residents are calling for last minute changes to be made to a £500,000 footbridge that does not have disabled access.

Householders in Cwm are unhappy about the design of St Paul's footbridge, currently being built over the multi-million pound relief road through their Valleys village.

They claim wheelchair users and parents with a pushchairs will be forced to take another route along a dangerous road to cross the new relief road and existing railway line.

This is because of two flights of steps on either side of the footbridge.

Robert Brain, chairman of the Cwm Welfare and Tenants Residents Association, said: "The whole village is up in arms about the fact that this £500,000 bridge doesn't cater for disabled people or parents with pushchairs.

"We think it is absolutely unbelievable and we would like to see something done about it because the footbridge is a complete waste of money without it.

"To us, it is absurd that a flight of steps could be placed on either side of the bridge."

He added: "The only other access from one side of Cwm to the other is a bit of a detour over a road bridge with temporary traffic lights that hasn't got a pavement."

He said this was a potential danger.

"You have to cross it with extreme caution and it is like a building site at the moment because of the work going on with the relief road through Cwm," he said.

Artist Andrew Rowe designed the steel footbridge, which is 70m long in total and spans 35m.

He was commissioned by the Welsh Development Agency after a selection process organised by CBAT - the arts and regeneration agency. Mr Rowe produced the conceptual design in collaboration with Capita Gwent Consultancy and the detailed design was developed in conjunction with Newport-based company Rowecord, which has fabricated and built the structure.

A spokeswoman for Blaenau Gwent council said the bridge complies with national requirements.

She said: "The existing steps will remain as they are and will link up with the bridge. The relief road works do not extend to cover the steps and there is no funding provision for replacing the steps under the original scheme."