More than a dozen substandard bridges in Peterborough

According to analysis using information requests by motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, they have revealed 13 council-owned bridges in the Peterborough district were found to be below standard as of October – around five per cent of the 272 managed by the council.

This means they were unable to support the heaviest loads, such as lorries of up to 44 tonnes.

This could be because they were built to earlier design standards, while others have deteriorated through age and use.

The council said it would ideally return six to full capacity – but due to budget restrictions only expects to do so with four over the next five years.

There were 3,105 below-par council-owned bridges across Britain that cannot carry the heaviest vehicles as of October, according to the research – an increase from 3,055 a year earlier.

Many of the structures are subject to weight restrictions, while others are under programmes of increased monitoring or even managed decline.

The analysis is based on data provided by 199 councils responsible for 71,656 bridges, which means 4.3 per cent were substandard.

Councils also reported that, at the time they responded in October last year, 10 bridges across Britain had fully collapsed in the previous 12 months, while a further 30 had partially collapsed – including one in Peterborough and another in Lincolnshire.

Local authorities have said they would ideally get 2,256 bridges back to full carrying capacity, but only expect to bring 392 up to scratch over the next five years.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: “We might not yet be at the stage where London Bridge has fallen down, as described in the nursery rhyme, but several other bridges across the country have suffered partial or total collapses.

“At the same time there has been a worrying decline in the number of inspections carried out to examine just how much damage rivers, and the debris they carry, are doing to bridges below the waterline.

“This is storing up trouble for the future as our weather gets more extreme and traffic volumes rise again after the Covid-19 restrictions.”

The research was carried out in partnership with Adept, a group representing local authority bosses responsible for transport and other sectors.

Kevin Dentith, chairman of ADEPT’s national bridges group, said: “Whilst the number of substandard bridges may appear worrying there is often a good reason why a bridge falls into this category.

“It does not mean the bridge is unsafe as it will be managed by the local authority, usually by a weight limit.”

But he added that councils would only be able to make 2,256 bridges fully functional again if they receive more government funding.

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: “We are providing over £1.1 billion in funding to local authorities in England, outside London, for highways maintenance this year to ensure infrastructure – including bridges – are maintained effectively.”