North Shields Borough Road footbridge removal inquiry closes

North Tyneside Council wants to demolish the bridge, which was built in 1936

A public inquiry into a council's controversial plan to remove a footbridge has closed.

North Tyneside Council said the Borough Road bridge in North Shields would cost too much to repair and was rarely used.

Objectors said estimates for its renovation were inaccurate and it offered a safe crossing for elderly and disabled people and children.

Government inspector Sue Arnott has ended the four-day inquiry and will now consider the bridge's future.

The bridge connects Tennyson Terrace and Waldo Street over Borough Road

The council estimated restoration of the bridge between Tennyson Terrace and Waldo Street would cost about £360,000, where as demolition would cost only £63,000, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Objector and retired engineer Duncan Summers said the bridge had been "sadly neglected and poorly maintained" but it was "still possible to restore the bridge with a competent contractor".

He said: "The demolition will disadvantage the elderly, the disabled, and those who push prams."

Vicki Gilbert, from the Tyne and Wear Public Transport Users Group, said the bridge also offered "unique views" of the Tyne.

The council's legal representative, Piers Riley-Smith, said the authority had to "spend its resources in the best way for the taxpayer" and the bridge was not frequently used.