Closed bridge does not meet minimum traffic standards

Concrete barriers have been put in place on the bridge after temporary ones were removed

A bridge which was shut at short notice - splitting a south of Scotland town in two - does not meet minimum standards for carrying traffic, a report has shown.

Dumfries and Galloway Council (DGC) took the decision to close the Kirkcudbright Bridge on Friday evening following a safety inspection.

A report to councillors said engineers had found it did not pass assessment for three-tonnes loading - the minimum category available to allow traffic to cross.

The local authority is to continue monitoring the condition of the bridge and look at solutions but in the meantime only pedestrians and bicycles are allowed across.

The bridge over the River Dee was shut on Friday evening with about an hour's notice to the local community.

Temporary barriers were put in place but the council said they were removed twice and were replaced with concrete ones instead.

Concerns have been raised about the impact on volunteers from the local RNLI crew getting to their lifeboat station on a callout.

They face a detour of about five miles (8km) to make the journey by car - via the Thomas Telford-built Tongland Bridge - or have to cross the Kirkcudbright Bridge on foot.

The bridge is nearly 100 years old

A report to councillors outlined the deterioration of the structure over the years leading up to the closure.

It is described as a "century-old, weak bridge" which has had some kind of weight restriction in place since the 1970s.

A 17-tonne restriction was imposed in 1993 and flashing beacons were installed to stop two large vehicles meeting on the bridge at the same time.

Checks on the effectiveness of those measures were made in October last year and they found many vehicles making the crossing were "significantly in excess" of the weight limit.

As a result, a 7.5-tonne restriction was introduced in January but the council said there was still "significant non-compliance".

A further safety inspection resulted in the closure on 24 March.

A diversion takes drivers across the Tongland Bridge which is more than 200 years old and was built by Thomas Telford

More independent checks of the bridge are now planned to look at "all potential options" for the way forward.

The council said it would examine the possibility of "repair and replacement" of the structure and also come up with a projected timeline and budget.

A further report is expected to go to the council's economy and infrastructure committee in April.

The closure will remain in place in the meantime with a dedicated web page set up to keep the community up to date with developments.