A PROPOSAL to paint white warning lines along the riverside path in Tavistock?s Meadows was given the thumbs down by councillors last week.

The suggestion came following an accident earlier this year, in which an elderly lady fell into the River Tavy off the Abbey Path.

Members were worried the town council, which owns the Meadows, could be liable under health and safety laws and decided to investigate the painting of a white warning line and erection of disclaimer notices.

At last week?s meeting of the council?s properties, members were told the path was so rough and uneven, the white paint would not ?take? properly. It would cost around £800 to paint the line, with no guarantee of it lasting.

Cllr Caroline Keane, chairman of the committee, said she thought such a line would look ?very peculiar?.

Tavistock?s mayor, Cllr Norma Woodcock, proposed the idea of lines and notices should be abandoned.

She said the incident involving the elderly lady was not a ?normal accident?, in that she had been trying to retrieve a bag at the time.

?Abbey Walk is at least 12 feet wide. People are more likely to fall under a bus than in the river,? said Cllr Woodcock.