Clun Bridge repairs have cost £15,000 this year

Taxpayers have paid more than £15,000 this year to repair damage to a south Shropshire bridge which has been repeatedly struck by lorries, council chiefs revealed today.

Shropshire Council has confirmed it spent £4,000 on work last month to fix parapets hit by vehicles, which involved a four-day full closure of the bridge.

It also spent £11,300 to fix HGV damage and crumbling masonry caused by the bad winter during a three-week closure in May.

And the bridge was again hit by a lorry this week.

Councillors blamed vandals who sprayed paint over a diversion sign which was there to direct lorries away from the town's twisting streets.

Colin Pendry, chairman of Clun Parish Council, said he expected the number of accidents to continue to rise.

He added: "We have tried everything to stop the HGVs during the 17 years I have been on this council, but there is absolutely nothing we or anyone else can do.

"It's a 16th century packhorse bridge and its designers never had 44-tonne lorries in mind. We've had lots of suggestions but nothing seems to work and I expect there'll be more lorries hitting it this year."