Paintwork and lighting repairs on Marlow’s Grade-I listed bridge have been side-lined in favour of essential structural repairs.

Buckinghamshire Council undertook a five-day inspection of Marlow Bridge back in May to inform a new repairs programme, accelerated by a local campaign to tidy up the “dilapidated” 19th-century structure.

And, according to co-chairs of local non-profit The Marlow Society, Richard Parker and Andrew Wood, who are also stakeholders in the bridge, the recent work indicated that “all its bearings are in need of replacement” – precipitating a shift from the council’s previous focus on less drastic cosmetic repairs.

Andrew said: “The bridge is such an iconic part of the town and it’s the most expensive one of its kind maintained by the council.

“We were told that replacing the bearings has been prioritised after the findings in the spring and that they’ll be the first things to be done. When they will be fixed and how much money the council has to do it is another question, however."

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A spokesperson for Buckinghamshire Council said a “maintenance plan” for Marlow Bridge was actively being developed, adding that “structural repairs will always take priority”.

The long-suffering crossing, which is one of two remaining bridges in the world designed by William Tierney Clark, has been subject to numerous breaches of its three-tonne-weight limit over the years – some more damaging than others – and mayor David Brown warned that it could be pedestrianised if “nothing is done to combat misuse by oversized vehicles” earlier this year.