Fears for Hornshole bridge's fate amid lorry damage concerns
- Published
A temporary weight limit put in place on the bridge in 2019 was lifted after repairs were completed
Fears of collapse have been raised about a historic Borders bridge following repeated vehicle damage.
The crossing at Hornshole near Hawick dates back more than 200 years and is a C-listed structure.
Residents said it had suffered regular "hits" from HGVs following a repairs programme nearly three years ago.
Scottish Borders Council said signage in the area was to be further improved and it was working with the community to try to tackle the problem.
Gordon Muir works closely with the Hornshole Greenway eco-project and lives in the area.
He said he thought a temporary weight limit of three tonnes which was put in place during the repairs in 2019 should be reintroduced and made permanent.
Gordon Muir said signs came after the "point of no return" for lorries
"Since then matters have reverted to how they were before that work commenced, or perhaps even worse, with regular hits to the bridge from large vehicles," he said.
"I think we must press for this limit to be reinstated permanently, together with width-limiting road bollards at either end and 'sleeping policemen' on all approach roads.
"The outside edge of the Hawick-side bridge parapet, is already a few centimetres out of alignment, together with various paint marks and scrapes on the inside."
The council said it was contacting hauliers to make them aware of the issue
The bridge sits near a memorial to the Battle of Hornshole in 1514 where a group of youths from Hawick defeated an English raiding party and captured their standard.
It is an event celebrated every year at the town's common riding.
Mr Muir said he feared the bridge would "inevitably" collapse into the river and be replaced by a "cheaper, modern" structure.
There are concerns the bridge could collapse into the river
He said that recent sign posts put up in response to bridge strikes were beyond the "point of no return" for any HGV.
"This is just more tinkering with the key issue and these signs will do little to protect the historic bridge or memorial site at Hornshole," he said.
"New cracks are appearing in the bridge parapet and the next nudge from a large vehicle may be the one that finally tips it into the river."
The council said signs were in place and were set to be improved further.
It has also contacted satnav companies and lorry operators to highlight the problem, however, it accepted there was still an "occasional issue" with vehicles getting into difficulties.
A statement added that the bridge was inspected regularly to check its condition and one would be carried out in the near future.