Huge timber legs were installed in Rainham marshes this week as part of an ambitious project linking the town to the Thames.

The poles will support a 200-metre pedestrian track, part of a 5km network of connected walkways winding their way through the marshes to the River Thames.

The elevated track, which is now in the final building stages, includes a 200-metre wooden sloping platform.

The walkways, expected to be completed early next year, will run from Rainham Railway Bridge, along the river and to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds marshes site, covering more than 1500-hectares of land.

It is the latest development in the council’s 10-year Rainham to River project, which scooped top place in the biodiversity category at the London in Bloom awards earlier this year.

Judges at the award ceremony said: “The project has been designed to allow wildlife and public access to co-exist and the visual benefits of the scheme are already paying off. The work at Rainham Marshes to protect and enhance the habitat of the water vole has been exceptional.”

It is hoped the pathways will give residents a unique opportunity to see wildlife in their natural habitat, while also making as little impact as possible on the environment.

The project is delivered in partnership with Design for London and funded by the Homes and Communities Agency, London Thames Gateway Development Corporation, the Greater London Authority and the Veolia Riverside Trust.