Marlow: 'Massive' lorry pictured crossing historic bridge

Despite its three-tonne weight limit, the Grade-I listed suspension bridge in Marlow has seen more than its fair share of HGVs and oversized vehicles attempting to cross into and depart from the town.

Sue Winter, who stood in front of a large lorry to prevent it from crossing the bridge in 2021, told the Free Press she believed Buckinghamshire Council were failing to protect the structure after yet another large lorry was pictured squeezing through its width-restriction bollards earlier this week.

On Monday, January 8, Marlow resident Guy Thompson took a video of the lorry navigating the bridge's two-metre bollards, which were installed in 1999, before crossing into the town.

He captioned the footage: "They get bigger and bigger!"

Sue, who is in her 70s, said: "I saw the video and thought it couldn't be true - how has that massive lorry managed to get over the bridge?

READ MORE: 'It could have been a nightmare': Pub forced to close after worst ever flooding

"I spoke to Marlow Town Council and they said Buckinghamshire Council was aware of what happened and has taken its registration.

"But my point is this - it's been three years since I stopped that lorry and another massive vehicle is still able to go over the bridge. Nothing has been done." 

It comes after Buckinghamshire Council confirmed it was "urgently" taking action to repair bollards on the southbound carriageway of the bridge after they were damaged by a large vehicle earlier this month.

Speaking on January 4, Peter Martin, Deputy Cabinet Member for Transport, acknowledged that some of the bolts attaching metal plates to the width-restriction bollards had been removed, leaving the southbound carriageway in the direction from Marlow to Bisham "temporarily wider than desirable".