Bridge stonework from police crash to stay in river

Highways officials have decided not to recover parts of a historic bridge which fell into the river after a police car crashed.

Worcester Bridge was damaged on 3 March after a loose laptop lodged in the car's steering column and the driver lost control.

Worcestershire County Council has scheduled repairs for November, but said the missing stones were likely to be damaged and would not pose a problem to river users.

West Mercia Police reviewed the incident but decided the officer involved should face no misconduct action.

A council spokesperson said: "Surveys have been carried out on the stone masonry that fell into the river.

"While it is not possible to fully assess the condition of the submerged stone, evidence from inspections suggests that much of it is likely to have been damaged, similar to the dislodged stone that remained on the bridge structure."

It said it would source specialist stone and "match the bridge's existing stonework as closely as possible" and reuse existing stone wherever possible.

Listed building consent has been granted for the repairs by Worcester City Council.

City and county councillor Tor Pingree said: "The last work that took place on the bridge took a couple of years – it's in a conservation area, and specialist stonemasons will be needed."

When the bridge collapsed, it prompted traffic chaos in Worcester and left one of the city's best-known landmarks in a shocking state.

Photos on social media showed just how close the police officer came to disaster, with the front-left tyre dangling over the edge.

One factor in the decision not to recover the stone is the cost of such a rescue operation, as well as the road disruption caused in retrieving all the masonry.

As a main artery across the city, Worcester Bridge has hardly ever been out of use in recent decades apart from during severe flooding. When that happens, it causes long queues and diversions.

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