Ludlow Ludford Bridge work to finish early

Major £100,000 work on Ludlow's historic Ludford Bridge is set to finish more than a week ahead of schedule, with contractors today starting to remove scaffolding on the structure.

The bridge, which is the main access point to Ludlow town centre from the south, will reopen on Saturday.

This is well ahead of Shropshire Council's Easter deadline to get the bridge back. The early finish has been attributed to the recent warm weather, which has enabled engineers to carry out the work quicker than expected.

The news has been greeted with delight by traders, who have faced months of misery with road closures since the bridge was forced to shut.

Chunks of masonry fell away from the bridge into the River Teme on January 4 and the bridge has been closed to traffic ever since.

Martin Taylor-Smith, Shropshire councillor for Ludlow South, said the cash for the project had come out of Shirehall's reserves.

He said: "The building work itself has finished and the contractors are now removing the scaffolding.

"The bridge should open at the end of this week and it is ahead of schedule — the contractors have done a very good job."

Carole Clayton, chairman of Ludlow Chamber of Commerce, said: "It is excellent news and it will take a lot of pressure off a lot of people with businesses in the area.

"I would like to congratulate the contractors and we can now look forward to a good Easter. It's now time for traders in the town to make some serious money."