Councillors have slammed York Millennium Bridge Trust's handling of alterations made to parts of the new riverside walkway in York.

A new shrubbery created in Tower Gardens, which it is claimed may have increased the risk of flooding to a nearby house, was among the changes made to original plans approved by City of York Council.

Other amendments included a concrete plinth which councillors heard was regularly urinated against, a lighting column that annoyed residents and a stone feature, allegedly used by skateboarders.

These alterations had not been given specific, individual approval because the trust was working with two different planning committees each responsible for different parts of the walkway.

And there were problems in supplying all the information.

The outcome caused problems for residents Dave Berkeley and Maggie Thorburn, who live in Tower Place.

They explained to councillors yesterday that shubbery had increased the risk of flooding to their home.

Miss Thorburn said this was caused by the earth bed reducing the rate at which water drained away.

The shrubbery replaced a hard area and was designed to prevent accidents at a blind corner where the city wall meets South Esplanade.

Ms Thorburn said a report by council engineer Mike Taverner, which rejected her claims, was based on guesswork and incomplete.

Rejecting officers' recommendations to approve the amendments, councillors said they had not been properly consulted and agreed that the trust should return with "more satisfactory" proposals.

They called for additional information into the effects of the shubbery and more consultation over the other amendments, before any decision was made on their future.

Committee chairman Coun Martin Brumby extended his apologies to Mr Berkeley and Miss Thorburn.

He said: "We want to express our apologies to you both because this whole affair has been a bit of a shambles. The trust need to be encouraged to try harder. They must come back with something that we can all agree on."

Coun Nick Blitz said: "The trust have not really performed to a level that York would wish to see."

Roger Armistead, the council's area development control officer, said: "I think the York Millennium Bridge Trust have been acting in good faith. They think they've been doing what the council wanted but obviously this is not the case. There needs to be a meeting between the central area planning committee and the trust, in order to forge better lines of communication."

Paul Chesmore, chairman of the Millennium Bridge Trust, said: "We did this work on Tower Gardens a year ago and we got council approval for all of it."

Of the flooding claim, he said: "We are well aware of this particular couple's views, but we've taken our own advice and had advice from specialist council engineers and we're quite confident the work has had no effect on their property at all."