Tyne Bridge: Rusting 'would have been sorted in London'

Angry councillors have claimed the dilapidated state of the Tyne Bridge would have been fixed up long ago if it was in London.

Newcastle and Gateshead councils have been trying to secure government cash for renovations ahead of the bridge's centenary in 2028.

Hopes of an £18.5m grant for work on the Grade II* listed landmark were snubbed in the October Budget.

It is now anticipated that funds could come from the Department of Transport.

Transport officials are pinning their hopes on a separate £40m bid to restore both the bridge and the central motorway, which has been with the Department for Transport for more than two years.

In September, runners who took part in the Great North Run commented on the state of the bridge.

There have also been warnings that further delays to restoration could mean it is no longer safe for 70,000 vehicles to cross it each day.

There was also concern that corrosion of the steelwork could pose a safety threat with the possibility of falling debris.

At a meeting of the councils' Joint Bridges Committee, councillors were told an indication of whether government will fund the restoration was now expected "soon after" costing figures are submitted in the spring.

Newcastle Labour councillor John-Paul Stephenson, the committee's chair, said: "We all know the appalling state of it, the rust, the peeling paint. It is not what we want to see for such an iconic structure in our region.

"If this had been in London then it would have been sorted by now."

But Alastair Swan, Newcastle City Council's principal engineer, said he had "no immediate concerns" about the structural integrity of the bridge and that officials were "constantly looking at what funding opportunities are out there", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

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