The stepping stones across the Hogsmill River in Ewell have been a much-loved crossing for local residents for more than 40 years. Since September 2025 they have been fenced off for safety reasons due to being submerged most of the time, following the water level increase caused by the Chamber Mead wetland development.

Unfortunately there is no clear owner of the stepping stones, meaning currently no one is responsible for their safety and maintenance.

On 30 June 2026, Epsom and Ewell Borough Council's Environment Committee decided not to take on responsibiliy for the stones. A new footbridge is proposed as a replacement, but that is subject to funding that has not yet been secured. While a footbridge would be a functional solution, it is the unique character of the stepping stones as a crossing which we think is important to preserve.

The Environment Agency, which owns the riverbed and banks, has said it will now remove the stones unless another organisation agrees to take on responsibility for their ongoing safety and maintenance.

We do not believe most local residents are yet aware that this is now a real possibility, and we do not believe the alternative the Environment Agency itself has proposed — another organisation taking on responsibility — has been properly explored.

We are calling for:

1. A pause on the Environment Agency's plans to remove the stepping stones, to allow time for a community-led solution to be properly considered.
2. The opportunity for local residents to investigate forming a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, or similar structure, with its own legal standing and public liability insurance, to take on responsibility for the stepping stones — directly answering the condition the Environment Agency has set.
3. Time for the outcome of the South East Rivers Trust's gravel-clearing works at the Chamber Mead wetland confluence to be assessed, since these are expected to lower water levels at the crossing and resolve the immediate safety issue. Removing the stones before this work's impact is known would be premature.

Local feeling on this is overwhelmingly in favour of keeping the stepping stones. They are not just a river crossing but a community landmark, sitting within the Hogsmill Local Nature Reserve and forming part of a well-loved local walking route.

If you agree that residents should be given a fair chance to find a solution that keeps the stepping stones — rather than losing them by default — please sign and share this petition.