Funds needed for vital bridge repairs - MP

Westmorland and Furness Council has warned it can only afford "short-term" measures

The government should provide emergency funding to repair two "vital" bridges which have been closed over structural concerns, an MP has said.

Westmorland and Lonsdale's Tim Farron has written to the Transport Secretary Louise Haigh asking for money to repair the bridges on Underbarrow Road and Brigsteer Road, which cross the A591 near Kendal, in Cumbria.

They were closed by Westmorland and Furness Council on 12 June as a precautionary measure after inspections found them to be an "immediate risk".

The Department for Transport (DfT) said it would respond to Mr Farron's letter in due course.

The Liberal Democrat MP said undertaking work swiftly was "a must" given the disruption the situation was causing.

He said the closure of the "vital arterial bridges" was "jeopardising" local businesses such as pubs which relied on passing trade.

Mr Farron added diversions were leading to extra petrol costs "for many who simply can't afford any increases" in living expenses.

MP Tim Farron says a solution to the closures must be found as quickly as possible

The bridges were built in the 1970s and are classed as half-joint bridges, which means their central section rests on L-shaped joints.

These joints are difficult to inspect and the council has said there was "worldwide concern" about the issue.

It highlighted the collapse of an overpass in Canada in 2006, which killed five people.

The authority is considering a number of options including temporarily propping the bridges up.

However, it has warned its existing budgets only have sufficient funding to provide "short-term solutions".

Its officers have met with government officials to seek support for longer-term measures such as rebuilding the structures, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A DfT spokesperson said funding decisions, including highways maintenance, would be "examined as part of the [government's] upcoming spending review".