HERE is a BBC report, paraphrased: “Moment of collapse of the Tadcaster Road Bridge spanning the river Wharfe (Dale catchment) North Yorkshire. Flooding. Bridge of the small market town had been closed for past two days – area surrounding the structure has now been evacuated amidst concerns that nearby gas main has been ruptured.”

Bradford on Avon could easily prove to be an exact replication of this structural situation. Inadequately supervised past work by contractors to install “replacement” modern gas main, and unsolicited uncontrolled cable “wotsits” works was effected by breaking away the waterproof membrane beneath the pedestrian footway, in order to create a trench with sufficient depth of cover to allow paving slabs to be replaced at previous alignment.

This has created a potential rupture line as water invades and is acted upon by frost/vibration/internal flow pressures within unbonded rubble fill. It is unlikely that transverse reinforcement was ever installed beneath the roadway, intended to tie together visible up and down stream masonry facades carrying the forces from parapet walls and traffic vibration.

Wiltshire Council (Highways portfolio?) will decree that stability and maintenance expenditure on the bridge is the responsibility of the Town Council (shades of St Margaret’s Hall). We can expect intended reassurance from both that there is no adequate tested fully funded contingency plan in place; knowing that no such thing exists.

The results of the collapse of this bridge? A north-south divide that MPs have not even dreamt of, and the usual reliance on trained firefighters becoming boatmen and volunteers putting their uninsured lives at risk.

Hopefully there will be no simultaneous gas explosion/fires/need for ambulances to cross the bridge.

Hopefully the medieval bridge, reliant on its sometimes enforced 18 tonnes weight limit, is the last word in robust structures.

H Hazell Bradford on Avon