A Buckinghamshire councillor has confirmed that ANPR cameras won’t be installed on Marlow Bridge and urged drivers who breach its three-tonne weight limit to ‘take responsibility for their actions’.

It comes after Marlow Mayor David Brown called for more action to be taken to protect the town’s landmark bridge, which often falls foul of careless drivers breaching its three-tonne weight limit.

The installation of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras on Cookham Bridge by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council also prompted some residents to ask why similar measures are not in place in Marlow – striking a similar tone to the mayor, who said it would be “awful” if the bridge continues to be misused by large vehicles, with minimal deterrents in place.

Steven Broadbent, Cabinet Member of Transport for Buckinghamshire Council has now reaffirmed the council’s position that ANPR cameras are not suitable for Marlow Bridge and urged motorists to ‘take responsibility’ themselves for treating the Grade-I listed structure with care and diligence.

He said: “Preserving and protecting the historic structure of Marlow Bridge is of the utmost importance to Buckinghamshire Council. We continue to use all powers available to use to prevent oversized vehicles from crossing and damaging the bridge.

“We have sought to install an ANPR camera (on it), but current legislation prevents us from doing this and so we must look at the alternative methods available.

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“Signage is clearly visible and width restrictions are in place, but a small number of drivers choose to ignore them and then often seek to claim for damage to their vehicle when they are the ones at fault.

“We will do all we can to protect it, but we also need drivers to take responsibility for their actions and help us to preserve this important structure.”

Mr Broadbent added that Marlow Bridge’s three-tonne weight limit was the result of its Grade-I listed status, compared to Cookham Bridge which is Grade-II listed and has a limit of 7.5 tonnes.

He said changing the weight limit of Marlow Bridge “would put it at great risk” and is “not something the council would ever consider”.

A temporary ANPR camera was installed on the bridge back in November 2021 and revealed that on average 97 vehicles were breaching the three-tonne restriction every day.

It was permanently removed at the end of a trial period, however, due to legislative regulations on weight limit enforcement by local authorities.