Historic viaduct needs up to £3m of repairs

Meldon Viaduct is expected to need repairs costing up to £3m over the next 10 years

A historic viaduct on Dartmoor will need up to £3m of repairs over the next 10 years it has emerged.

Meldon Viaduct is 165m (540ft) long and was constructed just outside Okehampton in the 1870s to cater for the London and South West Railway line.

The viaduct is a scheduled monument and one of only two surviving railway bridges in the UK built with wrought iron lattice piers and trusses.

The Meldon Viaduct Company that was set up in 1998 to maintain the viaduct and attract funding for repair works is being dissolved with Devon County Council taking on full control of the management of the viaduct.

The viaduct is thought to be one of the few remaining constructions of its kind

A report for Devon County Council's cabinet said: "The viaduct requires significant renovation works estimated at £2m-3m over the next decade.

"Survey works have been initiated to prepare for these renovations, but the funding has not yet been found."

The idea behind setting up the Meldon Viaduct Company had been that it would be able to apply for funding not available to local authorities.

However, the report said the company had raised funds "at a very slow rate" and the county council would now be exploring funding from bodies such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England.

The viaduct now carries the Granite Way, a cycle and footpath connecting Okehampton with Lydford, which is part of a route known as the Devon Coast to Coast.