Bridge to be closed to repair damage from crashes

Work is due to be completed by Christmas, according to Redcar and Cleveland council.

A Grade II listed bridge will be closed for about a month to repair damage caused by vehicles crashing into it.

Upleatham Bridge in East Cleveland, which crosses Skelton Beck, has suffered repeated damage to its stone parapet due to a number of collisions.

A report commissioned by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council (RCBC) found the parapet was "significantly leaning" with a six-inch (150mm) gap having developed between the road surface and the parapet wall.

Work is expected to start on 10 November and be finished by Christmas, the authority said.

Upleatham Bridge is on the B1268 road and is used by motorists coming from the A173 to travel to Guisborough or Skelton.

A diversion will be in place via Apple Orchard Bank and Marske Lane, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The work will involve removing a dislodged section and re-erecting it using as much as the original stone as possible, RCBC said.

Council documents said the bridge, which was originally built in 1755 and widened in the 19th century, was not wide enough for two cars, making access "difficult and unsafe with vehicles having to informally give way".

The authority plans to install new signage and traffic measures to address the problems.