Collapse forces closure of 15th Century bridge

Old Powick Bridge was expected to stay closed for several months by the council

A historic bridge dating to at least the 15th Century has been closed due to safety fears after it suffered damage in recent flooding.

Old Powick Bridge in Worcester will remain shut for "several months", according to Worcestershire County Council.

The authority confirmed the news on X, formerly called Twitter, labelling the structure as "not safe".

Used by walkers and cyclists, the bridge would be completely closed after some of the foundations collapsed, head of highways Jon Fraser said.

He confirmed the bridge had suffered "scour damage" which meant sediment had been removed from the foundations.

"There has been some scour damage to the foundations of the bridge caused by the recent flooding," Mr Fraser added.

"It is just not safe to remain open so we have closed it off while we carry out some investigations."

"It is a tragedy, it is a very historic bridge which dates back to the Civil War. It is very disappointing to see."

Mr Fraser said he and his team hoped to come up with a solution to get the bridge open again.

The last inspection of Old Powick Bridge revealed no issues, the council's head of highways said

Old Powick Bridge was built before 1447, according to the county's archives service.

The first and last battles of the Civil War took place around the area, they added - the Battle of Powick Bridge in 1642 and Battle of Worcester in 1651.

• Listen on BBC Sounds to hear more on why the Old Powick Bridge is closed

The council regularly inspects bridges across the county and the last inspection of Old Powick Bridge was in May.

It revealed no issues at the time, Mr Fraser said.

"This is just an unforeseen circumstance I am afraid and one that we have to deal with," he added.

The head of highways asked the people of Worcester to "bear with" the council and not to expect a reopening for "several months".