Safety concerns have closed Victoria Bridge in Bath and now British Waterways has stopped marina traffic
Victoria Bridge on the Kennet and Avon Canal was closed to pedestrians last year after an engineer’s report found that it was in “bad condition” and now the local council has decided to close the bridge to boat traffic too while it undergoes repairs.
Lock-keeper Trevor Skoyles said that closing the bridge to river traffic at the moment was not a major problem but that if repairs were to overrun it could be an issue.
“We’ve got this window of three or four months where it’s not a good idea to go out on the river. If it were April it would be a completely different story,” he said.
Despite this, the council is determined to repair the bridge and reopen it, but the towpaths were closed over the weekend as the bridge was propped up.
A British Waterways spokesperson said that the council has inspected the bridge and was concerned enough to close the river to boat traffic.
