Locals plea for 'gateway to forest' to be spared

Forestry England says the bridge is set to be demolished as part of a "carefully managed programme"

Residents in a New Forest village are calling for a much loved bridge to be spared from demolition.

The concrete bridge at Martins Road, Brockenhurst is described as a "gateway to the forest" by locals and used by dozens of walkers and free roaming livestock every day.

Forestry England, which manages public access to the forest, says the concrete bridge is more than 70 years old and is no longer structurally sound.

Despite resident's concerns, it plans to demolish the bridge this week.

Hannah Foster is one of a number of residents who believe access to the alternative crossing via a road is unsafe

Residents say the alternative crossing recommended by Forestry England is on a busy road with no pavement or streetlighting and thick brambles making it unsuitable and unsafe.

A spokesperson for Forestry England told the BBC, "We have listened to the concerns raised by some local residents about using this alternative bridge. We have addressed these by cutting back vegetation so that it can be easily accessed by walking on the forest rather than the road and creating a clear view to see along the road."

'Accident waiting to happen'

Those living nearby disagree. Hannah Foster says her six year old daughter Amelia, is scared of using the busy road.

"My daughter and I walked the new supposedly safe route on Sunday and the cars came so close to us," she said. "In the dark, in winter, where are people going to walk? It's an accident waiting to happen".

Forestry England says repairing the bridge is "not feasible" because of the impact on the habitat

Vicki Jago has lived nearby for 30 years and uses the bridge every day.

"I'm absolutely appalled," Ms Jago said. "It's a safety issue. We're all absolutely desperate for this bridge to be left."

Resident Catherine Whalley says the cost of fixing the bridge (around £45,000) could easily be met by Forestry England through the revenue it makes from car parking charges.

Ms. Whalley wants money from new parking charges to be diverted to make repairs to the bridge

Forestry England says that "the design and structure (of the bridge) no longer meets modern safety standards".

It claims civil engineers have raised "genuine concerns" about the supporting structure and has concluded "the best option in the interest of everyone's safety is to remove it".