‘Dangerous’ gaping hole in a well-used footbridge in Harborough has been hastily patched up​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

A “dangerous” gaping hole in a well-used footbridge in Market Harborough has been hastily patched up after being blasted by a furious district councillor.

Cllr Peter James called for the “rotting” structure opposite the town’s railway station to be shut earlier this week after branding it an “accident waiting to happen”.

Emergency repairs were quickly carried out to the seriously-damaged wooden bridge off Rockingham Road hours after the Liberal Democrat councillor demanded urgent action.

But Cllr James, who represents Little Bowden, told the Harborough Mail today: “The whole bridge needs to be looked at.

“I’m obviously relieved that the hole has been covered up because it was very dangerous.

“But in my view there is structural damage to this bridge as well – it poses a real health and safety risk.

“A complete structural review has to be carried out as soon as possible to assess and establish what has to be done to make it totally safe,” insisted Cllr James.

“This hole was about two metres wide – and it was there quite some time too.

“I was horrified when I saw just how bad it had become before being patched over at short notice,” said Cllr James.

“A lot of people use this bridge heading into town from the railway station.

“Anyone could have put a foot through the gap and been seriously injured – and the threat was clearly even bigger in the dark.

“And you’d have gone straight over the handlebars if you’d hit that hole pedalling over on your bike.

“I alerted our council’s officers last month, demanding that they act straight away.

“We’re not sure who exactly owns the bridge.

“But surely the council should carry out the repairs themselves first and then bill the people responsible for it,” said Cllr James.

Cllr Phil King, who leads Harborough District Council, said they are striving to address the problem.

“We are aware of this issue, which is on private land, and we have been working with partners to establish who owns the bridge so that they may take appropriate action to make it safe,” said Cllr King.