CANAL bosses want people to enjoy life in the duck lane rather than the fast lane when they take to the tow path in Wiltshire.

Back in the days of the industrial revolution the Kennet and Avon canal tow path was a hive of industry but now leisure lovers have made it busier than ever before.

So many people now take to the tow path, which runs through Wiltshire to Bath via Pewsey, Devizes, Trowbridge and Bradford on Avon, that there are fears that accidents could be caused unless people on bikes, cycling and walking their dogs take more care.

To highlight the issue the Canal & River Trust painted a temporary duck lane on a busy section of the tow path in Bath last week to remind people they need to share the space.

Mark Evans, Waterway Manager at the Canal & River Trust, said: "For many people our towpaths are among their most precious green spaces, antidotes to the pace and stress of the modern world and places to relax and unwind. They are ‘super slow ways’, providing a slice of peace and calm through the centres of our busiest cities.

"Today they are more popular than ever, with more investment in improvements and better signage, but with that success there are also problems. It just wouldn’t be possible to paint lanes on the towpath for all our different visitors – cyclists, walkers, runners, anglers, boaters - so we thought the ducks could have one instead.

"We can all help by slowing down and remembering we are all there to enjoy the space…..and watch out for ducks.

"On the Kennet & Avon, we know that there are issues with the sharing of the towpath and we want to address this with our visitors here. We can all help by making considerate choices about how we use the towpath."

The Trust’s towpath code Better Towpaths for Everyone was produced after consultation with more than 2,000 towpath visitors and interest groups. The top three issues raised were the need for improvements to the towpaths, better signage and better behaviour between visitors.

Last year, the Trust secured more than £8m of funding to improve its towpaths, and it is planning a further £10m investment in the next 12 months.