Bridge closure has cut village in half (From Ledbury Reporter)

Bridge closure has cut village in half

9:40am Monday 22nd October 2012 in News

PEOPLE living in the Herefordshire village of Lingen say a closure of a bridge has made journeys 20 times longer.

The unclassified road to the east of Lingen has been closed since heavy rain caused part of the bridge to collapse in July.

It has left those living the “wrong” side of it facing a 21-mile return trip into the village instead of what is usually a half-mile stroll.

And to make matters worse for them, residents have now been told they face a wait of up to four months before a new bridge is ready.

“It’s literally divided the community,” said villager David Thame.

“It’s stopping people getting to events, interfering with visits to our tiny Post Office, making getting to school and after-school events impossible, and costing us all a fortune in petrol.

“Some residents are clocking up several hundred miles a week just to get into a village that they can see from their houses. It has been a nightmare.”

Herefordshire Council says work on the new bridge is set to begin in the next week.

“It is anticipated that the work will take approximately 15 weeks,” said Clive Hall, the authority’s head of highways and community services.

“However, high water levels could cause some delay to this timescale.

“We understand the disruption the loss of this bridge is causing to residents and we will continue in our endeavours to deliver a long-term solution, safely and as quickly and efficiently as possible.”