Pedestrians told to stay off West Bradford bridge

Walkers are having to cope with traffic diversions during the festive period after a bridge over the River Ribble was declared unsafe.
West Bradford bridge.West Bradford bridge.
West Bradford bridge.

Last month Lancashire County Council were forced to close West Bradford Bridge, between West Bradford and Pimlico, to motorists after a crash badly damaged the bridge. However, they have now had to close it to pedestrians to make room for the scaffolding and for the necessary repairs to be carried out.

The latest closure comes after the bridge has undergone a series of repairs over the past few years as a result of vehicles having collided with the structure.

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The closure of the busy route has already seen drivers using alternative routes through Waddington, Grindleton and Chatburn, adding to congestion at busy times of the day, as both routes are well-used by parents of children attending schools in those villages. The bridge is expected to be closed until the New Year.

West Bradford resident, Mr Edwin Gretton, said the temporary bridge closure is causing a lot of inconvenience to both drivers and pedestrians.

He said:: “It’s a two-mile detour for me to go into Clitheroe if I'm driving and if I want to walk out of West Bradford, then that's adding at least an hour onto my journey.”

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "The repairs to West Bradford Bridge have reached a stage where we've had to close the bridge to pedestrians to make room for the scaffolding needed to access the damaged parapet wall.

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"The wall is currently being taken down so that we can assess the stone and decide what materials we need to order to restore it.

"This work is weather dependent, however, as long as there are no major delays due to poor conditions we anticipate that the bridge will reopen early in the New Year."