A "BEDRAGGLED" path near one of York's crown jewels will be back to its former glory this spring, council chiefs hope.

Following a number of letters to the Evening Press about the poor state of New Walk - near the city's Millennium Bridge - leaders at City of York Council have assured residents the path will soon be back to its best.

Once New Walk was a haven for wild flowers, but the bridge project meant the flowers were washed away.

Angry readers blasted the council insisting that the path should have been replanted.

In yesterday's Evening Press, Dorothy Penso, of Lastingham Terrace, wrote: "The expectations of York's Millennium project of a pedestrian bridge linking New Walk and South Bank have been lost in the sad state of New Walk.

"In 37 years it has never looked so inelegant and bedraggled.

"How many more protests are needed before action is taken to restore New Walk and realise the promises of the Millennium Bridge project to improve the flora, place architectural items, and return New Walk to a clean, cared for condition?"

Now, council chiefs have revealed they HAVE replanted a number of wild plants in the New Walk areas.

They hope that people will be able to see the results when the plants are to due to flower in the spring.

A City of York Council spokesman said: "As part of the project, the restoration of wild plants following the bridge building works was one of our key tasks.

"We have carried out work on both sides of the river to achieve this in consultation with our own conservation officer.

"Thanks to the delay in the completion of the bridge project and flooding in the area there was a delay in planting and we will really only know in spring how successful that work has been.

"If any replanting needs to be done we will be doing that in the autumn which is the best time of the year to do so."

Updated: 11:04 Tuesday, January 08, 2002