A firm which prefers muscle over machine is to show off its handiwork at a beauty spot in Alton.

Alton Town Council has selected a contractor to help with riverside pathway restoration work at Flood Meadows.

Councillors heard last Wednesday that the preferred firm were highly recommended by the likes of the South East Rivers Trust and their counterparts.

And they were by far the cheapest option – as their £13,600 quote was nearly £20,000 below the other two firms in the tendering process.

After Cllr Nick O’Brien questioned why the quote was so cheap, Cllr Matthew Bayliss all but convinced ATC to go for the bargain option.

He said: “Contractor A had been recommended by the Surrey Wildlife Trust and South East Rivers Trust.

“They actively propose to do it all by hand – no machine, just muscle. I put a lot of faith in their quote.”

The work will involve the reinstatement of a 20 metre section of collapsed riverside path and fallen bank at the Tanhouse Lane end of the site.

The work follows on from improvements completed in January 2022, and includes laying a 75ml topping to the path for an additional 40 metres.

Cllr Bayliss felt the other two bids were inflated, especially as Cllr Don Hammond and members of the Alton Society Flood Meadows Conservation Group repaired a nearby 20-yard section by themselves without payment.

Town mayor and chair, Cllr Annette Eyre, also said the decision would tie-in with the council’s green preferences while Cllr Matthew Kellermann made his decision on purely financial grounds.

He said: “I’m not voting for Contractor A because of a green agenda, but because they’re going to do the job and do it cheaper.”

The edging work required will be gradually undertaken by the FMCG during their monthly working group gatherings.