RIVERSIDE footpaths will be closed next month as work gets underway to improve safety on a stretch of river where a teenage student drowned.

Work will start in August to improve riverbank safety on a footpath along the banks of the River Wear in Durham, following the deaths of three university students in less than 18 months.

The work will concentrate on the banks between Framwelgate Bridge and Prebends Bridge, where the body of 19-year-old law student Euan Coulthard was found in January.

The stretch of riverbank was identified in a report carried out by independent safety charity RoSPA as posing the highest risk.

A 200-metre stretch of the footpath will be resurfaced and new railings will be installed to join existing fencing together.

On Fearan’s Walk, new fencing will be installed on top of the existing wall.

Both footpaths will be closed to pedestrians from August 24 for up to six weeks while work is carried out, with walkers advised to use South Street or Saddler Street instead.

Terry Collins, Chair of Durham City Safety Group, said: “The work programme is progressing really well and I am confident that everyone who uses these paths will see that the improvements have been undertaken in line with the history and heritage of the locations and with their conservation status in mind.

“To protect the public and the workforce two sections of the riverside footpath will need to be closed whilst the resurfacing and railings work is carried out.

“I would like to thank all those who have taken the time to support the group’s work and to ask for this to continue as we complete this important stage.

“The paths will only be closed whilst work is undertaken so both paths are unlikely to be closed for the entire six-week period or at the same time”.

Mr Coulthard was the third student to drown in the river since October 2013, following the tragic deaths of Sope Peters and Luke Pearce.

A safety review introduced a string of measures to avoid further tragedies, including alcohol education, pub door breath tests, late-night transport improvements and the introduction of a riverside angels scheme.

The Safety Group also agreed almost £230,000 of physical safety improvements on the riverside.

Several improvements have already been completed, including the installation of short stretches of timber fencing at various locations, the backfill of a drainage ditch at Mill House and repairing existing wire fences.

Along with the footpath improvements, other works due to take place over the next two months include the extension of existing fences and removal of some concrete bollards at Baths Bridge, the installation of more public rescue equipment and riverbank erosion measures.

In the longer-term, the safety group also plans to install some low impact lighting and directional signs at key locations.