Litterpickers defy council ban to clean Bridgnorth bridge

A group of volunteers have defied a council ban to clean up a ‘disgraceful’ town bridge.

Over the weekend a team of about 15 people descended on Bridgnorth’s historic Low Town bridge and set about cleaning its algae-covered railings.

The state of the bridge has become an increasing issue for the town’s residents, who have branded its condition “disgraceful”.

The current bridge was rebuilt by Thomas Telford in 1823 due to damage from flooding, traffic, and to replace earlier structures destroyed in the First English Civil War.

Bridgnorth Litter Pickers had announced plans to clean the railings on the bridge last month - with a date of June 14 set for the event.

But Shropshire Council stepped in and wrote to Bridgnorth Town Council - despite the town council not being officially connected with the litter pickers - asking for the event not to go ahead.

When asked about the issued by the Shropshire Star a joint statement from Shropshire Council and Bridgnorth Town Council thanked the volunteers for their “community spirit and continued commitment to improving Bridgnorth” but said “specialist assessments, appropriate permissions, traffic management arrangements, and suitably qualified contractors” could be required for the work.

The statement also highlighted health and safety risks to volunteers taking on the cleaning.

It said: “Due to the bridge’s listed status, the presence of historic lead-based paint on the railings, and the fact that the bridge carries a busy live highway, any maintenance or restoration work must comply with strict health and safety, environmental, highways, and heritage requirements.”

But, on Sunday a group went ahead with their plan to clean the railings - posting about the work on social media afterwards.

Alongside pictures of the work the Bridgnorth Litter Pickers’ social media account said: “This is what happens when local residents care enough about the town they live in and roll their sleeves up to do some washing. Great job guys.”

More than 200 people commented on the post - with the overwhelming majority in support of the efforts.

A follow-up post highlighted a petition to improve the bridge.

It said: “Thank you for the huge amount of support we've received since cleaning the bridge railings yesterday!

“Whilst we've managed to smarten things up temporarily, the bridge is still in desperate need of serious repairs, so please keep signing the petition below and help it reach 1000 signatures!”

“Anyone living, working or studying in Shropshire can sign, and whilst repairs are scheduled for 2027-28, this is only provisional, meaning the start date could slip to 2029 or later.

“The longer it takes, the more expensive repairs will be, so we're keen for Shropshire Council to lock in a date for repairs to begin in 2027.

“In the meantime, we'll be enjoying the town council's wonderful floral displays, which we're keeping a close eye on to help remove those pesky pint glasses and beer cans!”

Shropshire Council has been contacted for comment.