Wooden structures placed on a Leicestershire footbridge have been labelled "pointless" by bemused residents who have roundly mocked them online.

Visitors to Watermead Country Park, in Wanlip Road, north of Leicester, have been unable to access the bridge, near King Lear's Lake, since August after it was closed due to damage. Security fences were placed around the bridge by Leicestershire County Council in a bid to further protect it, but officials said these fences were then damaged due to "vandalism".

Last month, new wooden structures were built on either side of the bridge in a bid to further secure the bridge's safety, but its appearance has been strongly criticised and mocked online. Some have compared the structures to a Medieval castle, while another branded it "Fort Watermead" and said visitors "shall not pass".

Others have declared the council's actions a "hilarious waste of money".

One member of the Watermead Users Facebook page said: "The amount of effort they used to make them barriers, they could've repaired the bridge?".

A second said: "Wasting money at its finest. Absolutely pointless."

Last month LeicestershireLive reported Birstall county councillor Daniel Grimley's warning that the Environment Agency would need to approve a new temporary structure in place of the existing bridge, but said this in itself could take up to 26 weeks to get the green light.

The county council have said that they are assessing permanent repair options for the bridge and that a temporary bridge is to be installed, but that move has sparked questions about the need for the new structures themselves. One person said: "They are building another bridge, which is temporary whilst this one is repaired, what a total waste of money..."

A spokesperson for Leicestershire County Council said the authority was "still awaiting permissions" for the temporary bridge to be put in place.

While the wooden structures have been widely mocked, others have shown sympathy with the council's move. One said: "I think it's more the case that people were moving the fencing to still use the bridge so more extreme measures were needed to stop people. I wouldn't blame the council when it's likely the stupidity of others has meant this is necessary."

A second said: "If you want to blame someone, how about the people who kept ripping the previous barriers down, forcing the County Council to spend far more money than they needed to."

The bridge is one of three at the large country park located in the northern half which is owned by Leicestershire County Council. When asked about the bridge, a council spokesperson said: "Wooden structures were erected around Watermead bridge on 30 October 2025 in response to vandalism which damaged security fences.

"The bridge is currently closed for safety reasons. Permanent repair options are still being assessed and a temporary bridge will be installed, enabling the public to continue accessing Watermead Park in the meantime."