A man who will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair after falling from a bridge, has had a judge rule in his favour after taking Sutton Council through the courts.

Christopher Edwards, 68, had just finished a short cycle ride around Beddington Park with his wife Elizabeth, when they decided to take a break and walk their bikes back to the car.

The couple were crossing an ornamental bridge over a stream, when Mr Edwards lost his footing and fell roughly 1.5m onto rocks below.

The fall crushed part of his spine, meaning he will need medical treatment for the rest of his life.

The Victorian-era structure has parapets either side measuring 30cm at their highest point.

Mr Edwards took Sutton Council to court following the accident in September 2010, claiming there should have been signs at the bridge warning people of the potential dangers.

Speaking at the High Court on Monday, Judge Allan Gore QC ruled the council were mostly to blame for the accident.

Mr Edwards, from Manor Road, in Sutton, said: "My life was changed forever on that day in a place which I expected to be safe.

"Following the judgment, I hope this encourages local authorities to consider the safety of park users so that situations like this never happen again."

A Sutton Council spokesman said the authority was considering its options following the judgement.

He said: "We take all issues of public safety extremely seriously and it is for this reason that we are sorry a member of the public was injured whilst visiting Beddington Park.

"We are disappointed by the judge's decision which has forced the closure of an attractive listed bridge, especially as the bridge has stood for 130 years without previous accident or complaint."

Mr Edwards’ solicitor Warren Maxwell, who works at Stewarts Law, said: "The judgment has confirmed that local authorities owe a duty of care to those who are on their property.

"It is hoped that the London Borough of Sutton will now take reasonable steps to ensure that their parks are safe for the public to use."