Bridge to partially close for inspection

Marlow Bridge, in Buckinghamshire, is nearly two hundred years old

A Grade I listed suspension bridge will be partially closed for two weeks while inspections take place.

A full survey will be carried out on Marlow Bridge, which crosses the Thames, to determine what improvements and upkeep were needed on the 200-year-old structure.

Motorists will not be able to cross between 20:00 BST - 06:00, from 20 May and a diversion route would be created, Buckinghamshire Council said.

Pedestrians and cyclists, however, would still be able to use the bridge.

The structure, completed in 1832, has a three tonne weight limit but has been damaged by heavy lorries in the past.

The authority said "maintenance and upgrade works" were due over the next two years and the inspection findings would dictate what needed to be done.

Conservative councillor, Dominic Barnes, deputy cabinet member for transport, said: "This initial surveying will tell us exactly what’s needed and will allow us to fully plan these works in.

"We’re committed to protecting and enhancing this historic and attractive structure and this will help us to move our maintenance and improvements work forward."

He added that disruption would be kept "to a minimum".

The bridge was designed by William Tierney Clark, who also designed Hammersmith Bridge in London, and the Szechenyi Bridge across the Danube in Budapest, Hungary.