TENBURY’S gateway bridge into the town could be closed for up to five months next year.

A public meeting at the High School last night (Wednesday) was told that work on the repair to the Teme Bridge will start on Monday, January 9.

It is hoped that the work will be completed within three or four months but delays due to bad weather could see it being shut until the summer.

Plans for a temporary footbridge into the town from Burford have been dropped but engineers say that the bridge will still be able to be used by pedestrians, cyclists and scooter riders.

Motorcyclists will have to get off their machines but will be allowed to push them over the bridge.

A large field between the A456 and the River Teme will be covered with hardstanding and will serve as a free temporary car park and bus terminus for the duration of the work.

Traffic that has to get into or pass through the town will be required to follow two different diversionary routes – one for light vehicles and the other for heavy traffic.

Worcestershire County Council has promised that shopkeepers in the town will be provided with leaflets to give to customers before Christmas stressing that despite the bridge works, Tenbury remains open for business.

Contractors for the repair, that will cost up to £1.5 million, will be appointed next month. It is thought that the work will take place on Monday to Friday.

Ken Pollock, who represents Tenbury on the county council, said that the work was essential and could not be left any longer.

“I am sure that the pressure will be on the contractors to get it finished as quickly as possible,” he said.

“The decision has been made to do a complete job that will be good for another 120 years rather than something temporary that will require further work in our lifetime.”

There have been talks between the county council and agents for Tesco about a possible delay to the start of work on the proposed supermarket if a planning application to be heard in November is successful.

However, it is understood that if permission is granted, the firm would want to start work on the former Cattle Market site as soon as possible and not wait until the bridge is finished.

When completed, the bridge will not need any weight restrictions. A plan to widen the roadway by having a single footpath on one side has been dropped.