Pembrey and Burry Port railway footbridge renewal 'a terrific boost'

The bridge will be refurbished at a Cardiff workshop

A Victorian railway footbridge which residents fought to save is to be removed and refurbished.

The 137-year-old bridge at Pembrey and Burry Port station in Carmarthenshire will be strengthened, redecorated and have its deck replaced.

Its lighting was upgraded in 2013 following a campaign against Network Rail plans to dismantle the structure.

The £250,000 refurbishment in a Cardiff workshop will start in March, with the bridge due to be returned by summer.

In the meantime, passengers will have to use the nearby road bridge to access the platforms.

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John James, a Carmarthenshire county councillor representing Burry Port, said the work would be welcomed by residents and passengers.

"This bridge means so much to all of us, and to have this guarantee of refurbishment is a terrific boost for our town," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"We wish to thank everyone involved, from the initial decision-making process through to the carrying out of the work."

In 2012 Llanelli MP Nia Griffith was among those who backed the campaign to save the bridge, after Network Rail warned it was in a serious state of disrepair.