Poole's Twin Sails Bridge maintenance over budget

The Twin Sails Bridge has been closed a number of times since it was completed in 2012

More than £260,000 was spent keeping Poole's Twin Sails Bridge running in the last financial year, £124,000 more than budgeted.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council is continuing work to resolve problems with the lifting mechanism which emerged in 2018.

BCP said it had also spent £55,166 so far of the £140,500 annual bridge maintenance budget for 2020/21.

But it says, with work continuing, the full cost of repairs is not yet known.

Final repairs to the crossing between Poole and Hamworthy were halted earlier this month amid technical problems.

It will continue to operate at a reduced speed until a solution is found.

'Grating sounds'

BCP, which replaced Poole Council in April 2019, said it spent £264,661 on work to Twin Sails in 2019/20.

Poole Council previously spent almost £1.3m keeping it operational since it opened in 2012, having originally budgeted about £730,000.

A BCP spokesman said: "There are ongoing investigations into the current issues with the bridge and the full cost of the repairs is not yet known.

"Only once the works and investigation have completed, then all parties will be aware of the full reasons for the cause and the council will consider its next steps from there."

The Twin Sails Bridge links Poole with Hamworthy

The £37m bridge was closed for a month in November 2018 when it began making "grating sounds".

Specially manufactured components weighing almost half a tonne were installed last year to replace a defective pin and bearing in one of two cylinders, but work revealed parts in the other cylinder also needed replacing.

The council said during these most recent works contractors "encountered problems threading the new assembly on to the cylinder rod end".

When it first opened, the bridge was beset with defects, including sections of the road falling off as it was raised.

Along with nearby Poole Bridge, Twin Sails allows drivers to avoid a six-mile detour and it enables boats to pass between Holes Bay and Poole Bay.