A Finchley pressure group says the Dollis Valley Greenwalk is in a worse state than before its revamp.

The Friends of Windsor Open Space (FOWOS) claims the Dollis Valley Greenwalk Project, officially completed on Thursday, March 8, has left part of the footpath hazardous, especially for the blind and partially-sighted.

Chairman Dennis Pepper said: “Naturally, Councillor Brian Coleman, who has cabinet responsibility for the environment, and his team chose to hold the official opening in one of the areas where work has now been done.

"Visitors and journalists could see new pathways, a new-built playground and pleasant grasslands.

“However, a few hundred yards further down, they would have seen a huge muddy patch where there used to be grass until the contractors moved in.

"There's also a dump where there used to be grassland and a dangerous, pitted, mud-strewn stretch of footpath, where work suddenly stopped.

“I understand there will be no further work and these areas will be left as they are.”

Mr Pepper claims the council ran out of money and could not complete the project.

He is particularly concerned for two members of the FOWOS who are blind and feel unsafe walking along the pot-holed and cracked path.

He said: “It seems crazy to me. It certainly is not complete and while the footpath remains unfinished, I feel it has not been worth doing at all, because the footpath was the main point.”

The work was funded by a £400,000 grant from the London Mayor’s Help a London Park Fund and included the creation of children’s playgrounds, a cycle path and footpath improvements.

Mr Pepper said: “It had the potential to be a wonderful boost for the whole of the greenwalk, but now the money is all spent and the work is not completed.

“Some areas of the greenwalk are in a worse state than before, and the paths will have to cope with cyclists, as well as walkers.”

In a statement, Barnet Council said all of the work is due to be finished by Saturday, March 31.

However, the council has admitted that it has not been possible to repair or replace all of the footpath because it does not have enough money.