Clumber Park: Vandalised bridge stone recovered

All the recovered stone has been placed on pallets at the site

Hundreds of stone fragments which were knocked into a river when a car was deliberately driven into a 250-year-old bridge have been recovered.

Most of the balustrade from Clumber Park's ornamental bridge entered the River Poulter, in March, leaving the National Trust with a huge repair bill.

The stone has now been retrieved from the water at the park, near Worksop.

It will be assessed by architects to see what can be reused when rebuilding the Grade II listed structure.

A burnt-out car was found on the Clumber Bridge

The trust, which said repairs would cost hundreds of thousands of pounds, found the quarry which provided the original stone closed in the 1960s.

It has been scouring other sites for matches.

On 3 March, a burnt-out car was found on the bridge amid a trail of destruction which appeared to be "an act of intentional damage", the trust said.

Later that month, a self-catering accommodation block at the park was set on fire.

Police divers helped recover some of the stone

A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and arson with intent to endanger life.

He was also detained on suspicion of theft of a vehicle and was later released on bail.

Restorations are due to start in May.