A massive footpath repair programme has started  around Gisborne and will continue until May of next year.

Gisborne District Council’s Journeys operations manager Libby Young said there was a big push to respond to an increased number of faults.

“We know many of you have been waiting to get footpaths fixed and we thank you for your patience and want to reassure you that work has started.

“Please be aware there will be disruptions around footpaths while they’re fixed from now until May.

“However, contractors will ensure that repairs halt for a month from mid-December to the second week in January so our footpaths are not blocked off for the busy summer season.”

Ms Young said contractors had started working on the worst footpath faults in urban areas.

The focus was on high-foot-traffic areas like schools, kōhanga reo, shopping centres, marae and bus stops.

“In April we completed a full network inspection of faults. In each case the cause of the fault was identified.

“Street trees and privately owned trees are the biggest problem getting in the way of long-term, fault-free footpaths for our community.

“Our reserves team have been working with us to resolve these issues where required.”

Ms Young said because of the large scope of work, contractors were reaching out to residents ikely to be impacted by having their driveway or access routes closed while repairs were made.