A parish council has hit out over a 'failure' to get on with works to repair a historic bridge it says is in danger of collapse. 

Hempyard Bridge in Ixworth was identified in 2015 as needing £100,000 of repair works, a figure which has since risen to £250,000. 

Suffolk County Council (SCC) has said the condition of the bridge has not changed significantly in the past few years, and that repairs are scheduled for 2024.

The bridge, which is accessed via Commister Lane, has curtilage listing as part of the Grade I listed Ixworth Abbey, and is thought to date back to at least the 16th century. 

It cannot be used by vehicles, but is open to pedestrians and horse riders.

A temporary wooden structure was erected five years ago to preserve the bridge’s edges. 

Bury Mercury: Hempyard Bridge pictured from the south side in October 2022. Image: Ben LordHempyard Bridge pictured from the south side in October 2022. Image: Ben Lord (Image: Ben Lord)

However, members of Ixworth and Ixworth Thorpe Parish Council say this is not enough.

They were informed on Thursday that repairs would not take place until 2024. 

Parish Council chairman Ben Lord said: “We feel utterly let down by Suffolk County Council’s failure to adequately prioritise the repairs to Hempyard Bridge, in spite of express assurances the work would be carried out both last year and this year.  

“Suffolk County Council’s ‘frequent’ inspections suggest there is no significant change to the bridge’s condition yet it can be clearly seen how chunks of this bridge are eroding into the river.

"An owner of a listed building would not be able to get away with such complacency and this latest delay will seriously risk Hempyard Bridge avoidably collapsing into the River Blackborne resulting in the closure of the only bridleway in our village that is fundamental to our circular footpath network.” 

Bury Mercury: Hempyard Bridge pictured earlier this month, showing the wooden structure in place to protect the bridge's edges. Image: Ben LordHempyard Bridge pictured earlier this month, showing the wooden structure in place to protect the bridge's edges. Image: Ben Lord (Image: Ben Lord)

Bury Mercury: Hempyard Bridge pictured earlier this month. Image: Ben LordHempyard Bridge pictured earlier this month. Image: Ben Lord (Image: Ben Lord)

This news comes after it was revealed last month that Suffolk was the fifth worst county in Britian for ‘substandard’ bridges. Research from the RAC Foundation shoes that there were 119 bridges in Suffolk too weak to be used by 44-tonne lorries. 

A spokesperson for SCC said: “Hempyard bridge is one of 200 larger bridges that carry the PROW [public right of way] network throughout the county. At three other locations in the county footbridges have recently had to be closed due to concerns regarding their safety.  

“These closures are causing significant disruption/inconvenience to the public. There is a finite budget (and resources) available for addressing the works required to replace/maintain Public Rights of Way bridges, and whilst some additional funding has been reallocated for 2023/24 to increase the funding available to deal with these issues, it’s still not possible to address all the bridges that need replacement/maintenance in the coming year. 

“Unfortunately, due to a reprioritisation of other work related to bridge repairs and footpath closures in the county and a change in primary highways contractor in October 2023, the works at Hempyard are now scheduled for summer 2024.”