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Published:
May 16, 2007
Angry
town councillors call on Minister
to step in to bridge dispute
Angry
town councillors have this week decided to take the controversial
closure of Highbridge's Walrow railway bridge to the Minister
of Transport in a bid to raise the status of the issue.
At
their latest meeting, pictured below, councillors backed a proposal
by Deputy Mayor Cllr Neville Jones to escalate the controversial
closure of the bridge to parliament.
"It's
time to take this to the top," Cllr Neville Jones told councillors.
"I am sick to death of the politics between Network Rail
and Somerset County Council over this matter."
"The
County Council don't care a damn about Highbridge or Burnham.
The road can be re-opened if they want it," he added.
 "It's
absolutely ridiculous when we're trying to regenerate Highbridge
that we're faced with this. The
bridge is a vital link to the survival of Highbridge."
Cllr
Janet Keen agreed, saying: "Several businesses are losing
up to £1,000 a week because of this closure. They are dying
a slow death. These are businesses which we should be treasuring,
not crippling."
But
Cllr Mike Mansfield sounded a warning over any quick re-opening
of the Walrow bridge: "If we get this bridge re-opened and
it fell apart with a vehicle going over, who would take the blame
and be responsible?"
County
Councillor Rose Parsons agreed, saying safety considerations have
to be properly considered.
"I
have been underneath the bridge and one of the support girders
has rusted out and is no longer there," she told Monday's
meeting.
"This
matter is all about who will take responsibility if something
happens. I would hate to have my head on it if something were
to happen when a school bus or other vehicle was going over."
Cllr
Joe Leach agreed, saying he takes the matter "very seriously"
adding: "I care very much about Highbridge businesses, but
don't believe we can safely let people cross that bridge."
But
Cllr Jones said he would not want the bridge "opened willy
nilly." He
added: "This all comes down to a cash problem. We must get
a higher priority to this work. We just can't wait for several
years for it to be re-opened."
Burnham-On-Sea.com
exclusively broke
the news in March that the busy bridge could close for up
to four years due to much-needed strengthening repairs. Mr
Heathcoat-Amory visited
the bridge last month and also recently received a letter
from Network Rail placing the blame for the closure squarely with
Somerset County Council.
 
Burnham and Highbridge MP, David Heathcoat-Amory, met with the
newly elected Leader of Somerset County Council's Conservative
Group, Cllr Ken Maddock, at the bridge on Friday (pictured) and
the matter will be discussed further later today (Wednesday May
16th) at Somerset County Council.
Mr
Heathcoat-Amory told Burnham-On-Sea.com: "I am pleased that
the Conservative Group are raising this at full council meeting
on Wednesday."
"Somerset
County Council closed the bridge because it was the easiest thing
to do but they must now change that decision. I will not accept
that this bridge should remain closed for three years. I've got
Network Rail to review this and it is now up to Somerset County
Council to play their part."
RELATED
LINKS:
MP
visits concerned traders in Highbridge
800
angry residents sign petition over bridge closure
Councillors
lead fresh bid to find solution to bridge closure
Burnham's
MP vows to fight bridge closure
Busy Highbridge
road bridge to shut for three years
Your
opinions on the bridge closure
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