Key areas of the River Severn in Shrewsbury will have railings put up in a bid to cut the number of deaths in the water, it has been announced.
The barriers will go up along a stretch of the river near the weir and between the railway and St Mary’s Water Lane to improve safety.
The move follows years of campaigning by residents to make the river more secure following a number of deaths. At least 24 people have died in the river in the last six or seven years.
But council officials say they have no plans for barriers at the site where a man went missing earlier last month.
Tim Sneddon, head of environmental maintenance at Shropshire Council, said that despite calls for the river to be fenced off following the death of father-of-one Mark Hodnett earlier this month, it was ‘impossible’ to make it a fortress.
The body of the 27-year-old, of Grange Road, Radbrook, was pulled from the river on August 18.
He had been missing for several days after he was last seen leaving a nightclub in the town.
Mr Sneddon said: “We are looking at putting railings where there is an increased risk of people falling in – even if they have been consuming alcohol.
“I think there are some railings to go on short sections near the weir. It’s where there is possible access to the river between a footpath and towpath.
“If there was a child on a bicycle or a lady who accidentally let go of a buggy it’s possible they could go in so we are looking at improvements there. Frankwell isn’t an area we have been looking at because we don’t think railings in these areas are going to be effective.”
Mr Sneddon said the work would also involve working with bars and nightclubs to help change attitudes.
But Matt Everington, friend of Mr Hodnett, who is behind a Facebook petition calling for dangerous areas of the river to be fenced off, said more needed to be done to prevent further tragedies.
He said: “There are a lot of areas where people can gain access too easily.”