Clumber Park: Police divers help recover bridge stone

The National Trust said the bridge would cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to repair

Police divers have been helping to recover ornamental stone after a 250-year-old bridge was vandalised at a National Trust-owned country park.

The Grade-II listed bridge at Clumber Park, near Worksop, Nottinghamshire, was badly damaged when a car was driven into it on 3 March.

Officers searched the River Poulter near the bridge as part of a training exercise.

The trust said "large quantities of stone" have been recovered.

The stone was recovered as part of a training exercise

The stone will be sent to the National Trust's stonemasons

A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after the trust said a car was "deliberately" driven into the bridge which dates back to the 1760s.

The man, who has since been bailed, was also held for arson with intent to endanger life after an accommodation block at the park had to be evacuated when it was set alight, nine days after the bridge damage.

Firefighters also tackled a second fire at the forest at about 18:00 BST on Wednesday. The flames had taken hold in undergrowth in an area roughly the size of three to four football pitches.

A burnt-out car was found on the bridge when the damage was discovered

Rob Brough, project lead for the bridge's restoration, said a specialist team of police divers salvaged sections of masonry.

"We are extremely grateful to Nottinghamshire Police for offering to recover stone from the bridge as a training exercise for their team of specialist divers, whilst aiding the restoration of the bridge in the process," he said.

The bridge is currently fenced off at the sides where the damage was caused

Mr Brough said that the recovered stone will be assessed by National Trust stonemasons.

The bridge will cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to repair, the trust said.