Fresh fight starts to save historic Clun Bridge

The stonework of Clun Bridge, which takes the A488 over the River Clun at the heart of the small Shropshire town, has been struck once more, the latest in a long line of accidents at the bridge over the years.

The people of Clun will soon be consulted on further steps to manage traffic across the bridge and through the narrow streets, it has been revealed – but the options are limited, Nigel Hartin, Shropshire councillor for Clun, has said.

Resident Simon Jervis, who lives near the bridge, said the latest accident happened at about 9.15am on Tuesday.

He said: "This time the driver said fair enough, he put up his hands and gave his details, but that's extremely rare."

He said the repairs cost Shropshire Council thousands every year.

"It's hit pretty much two or three times a year, and clipped almost daily. It's just never-ending really.

"It's such a shame because it's such a lovely bridge.

"There are now four or five of us monitoring the traffic either side of the bridge," he said. Mr Jervis runs a facebook group called 'Stop articulated lorries using Clun Bridge'.

He said: "I'm not objecting to lorries going over the bridge, it's articulated lorries that shouldn't be there.

"You get lorries designed for the continental autobahn coming through a tiny town like Clun.

"What we really need is to make sure every lorry has got a sat nav that has weight and length information on it, by law," he said.

He said a telegraph pole near him on Bridge Street had been hit four times in the past three years by lorries and fully replaced twice.

It was re-sited back from the kerb just last week having been hit yet again.

Councillor Hartin said: "The bridge has been hit many, many times, but it seems to be getting worse, as it happens."

He said there had been some progress on the matter as CCTV had now been installed.