Old Powick Bridge closed to undergo repairs after collapse

Old Powick Bridge, which is normally open to pedestrians and cyclists, will be out of bounds for "the foreseeable future" while repairs are undertaken.

Highways Service firm Ringway was on hand at the scene where cones have been laid along Old Road to prevent anyone from accessing the bridge.

It has also blocked the pathway the leads down towards Powick Roundabout that is a used on a daily basis by cyclists and pedestrians. 

Jon Fraser, from Worcestershire Country Council Highways Team, said: "We are here to clear some of the debris that is up against the bridge because of the floods.

"What we have actually discovered is part of the foundation of the bridge has been washed away, so it's not safe to remain open.

"We are going to put a hard closure in here to actually physically prevent anyone from getting to it and then we need to do a proper assessment of what needs to be done to get the bridge repaired."

Mr Fraser suspected the partial collapse of the bridge was as a result of "several significant floods" to have hit the region in recent years.

He also stressed there had been no previous signs that Powick Bridge was at risk of collapsing prior to the incident.

"Obviously we have had several significant floods in recent years and I think it is probably the combined effect of that has scoured the foundations of the bridge," he said.

Diggers are being used to clear away the large amounts of debris that includes driftwood and whole tree trunks that has built up in the River Theme by the bridge.

Mr Fraser said a full assessment would need to be carried out to ensure the bridge could not be accessed, and added it was too soon to suggest a timescale of how long the bridge would be closed for.

"It's too early to say," he said. "What we need to do is make this safe so that nobody can access it and then we will do a full assessment.

"Then we should have some idea of timescales, but it's not going to be very soon I can tell you that."