Residents 'frustrated' over bridge closure

Residents are "frustrated" about the ongoing closure of a footbridge, amid fears repairs may not be complete until 2026.

Marsh Lock bridge, which is on the Thames Path south of Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, was closed in 2022 over safety fears.

Oxfordshire County councillor David Bartholomew has said he "cannot see the bridge reopening before 2026" because the Environment Agency (EA), which owns the bridge, need to first secure funding from Defra to carry out the repairs.

An EA spokesperson said the bridge had to be shut for public safety, and that decisions on "the safest and most cost-effective options" for opening it would be made "as soon as possible".

The EA previously said the bridge was likely to require "either a major refurbishment or replacement".

There is a diversion in place, but it is 2.7 miles (4.3km) long and involves crossing the main road twice, Mr Bartholomew said.

"The Thames Path in that area is almost unusable," he said.

Both Mr Bartholomew and the MP for Henley and Thame, Freddie van Mierlo, said the EA was yet to put in a funding application to Defra.

Mr Bartholomew said once it was submitted a decision would likely not be made until spring 2025.

Mr van Mierlo wrote to the EA last week asking for a "timely" resolution, but said on Wednesday it was "unclear" whether the agency would be able to get funding, adding a timeline would likely be "years rather than months".

He said residents were "sympathetic" to the financial situations of organisations like the EA.

"But at the same time this is a really important trail that should get some special attention," he added.

He said he had been granted an oral question in parliament on Thursday, which he would use to raise the issue.

An EA spokesperson said the bridge needed "significant maintenance or even replacement", and that the decision to close it was made "solely for the safety of the public".

"Like any publicly-funded body, we have to ensure value for the taxpayer," they said.

"Decisions on the safest and most cost-effective options for Marsh Lock Horsebridge, to get it open again for local people, will be made as soon as possible."

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