Work planned to prevent medieval Mordiford Bridge collapse

The bridge is grade II listed and was made in the 14th century

A medieval bridge is set to be strengthened to stop it collapsing after flood water damage.

Mordiford Bridge spans the river Lugg in Herefordshire and is used as part of the B4224.

Two of the bridge's seven "flood arches" need to be reinforced as they have been eroded by particles in river water.

Herefordshire Council said: "We will do everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum."

A report with an application to perform the works on the Grade II listed structure warns if the bridge is left unchecked, the deterioration "is likely to lead to loss of masonry units and eventual collapse".

The scheme calls for a new reinforced concrete core to be extended into the bridge and clad in stone, with a dismantled barrier reused where possible to match the existing structure, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The option of widening the bridge at the two arches to match a section broadened in the 1950s was rejected as it "would have been considerably more expensive" and "caused considerable harm to the building's significance".

The council said there may be some access restrictions during the works, and it was planning how that would be managed.

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