A lack of maintenance of the Scottish Canals has left a vital road link in the village of Falkirk at ‘serious risk of failure’, two councilors have claimed.

Bonnybridge councilors Jack Redmond and Billy Buchanan have slammed the Scottish Canals for failing to maintain the bridge over the Forth & Clyde canal at Bonnybridge, which has been removed to allow boats to pass under it.

Cllr Redmond, whose bridge is owned and operated by Scottish Canals, said the organization had “failed to communicate properly” with Falkirk Council and temporary repairs were left to the local authority.

Commander Redmond said: “The bridge is a vital piece of infrastructure for Bonnybridge and is currently at serious risk of failure due to Scottish canals neglecting proper maintenance.

“The Scottish Canals really need to start taking this seriously and start taking responsibility for the infrastructure they operate.

“The longer repairs are left, the worse the bridge will deteriorate and the more expensive the repair work will become.

“There are now trenches ten inches deep and the steel structure is now exposed through the concrete.

“The council has carried out a number of temporary repairs with the understanding that the Scottish Canals will undertake major renovations.”

LDRS

In addition to the poor condition of the road surface, there are concerns that the bridge’s opening mechanism is faulty, which could cause major inconvenience.

Last week the bridge was lifted to allow a canal boat to pass, but it was not fully in place and was closed for 30 minutes.

Major Redmond said he was concerned to see that although the bridge reopened half an hour later it was clearly not in the correct position.

Scottish Canals says repairs have now been made, but local councilors say the problems have been going on for years.

Cllr Redmond, a Labor councillor, has now joined Independent councilor Billy Buchanan to ask Scottish Canals to take action.

Baillie Buchanan said he believed the design would cause problems from the moment plans were announced as part of the project to reopen the canal to celebrate the Millennium.

He said: “’What if it breaks?’ I asked, but they didn’t listen.

“This was supposed to be a Millennium project; It is not a bridge that will bring our community to a halt.

He says that he expects a drop lock to be installed instead of the lifting bridge, which will allow boats to pass under it, and has even started a petition campaign.

“To stop this, I started a campaign called ‘ban the bridge’,” he recalls. I have held numerous public meetings and received great support from the community.

“We have two schools on the west side and most of the industry is there.

“I believe the fall lock would only cost £80,000, which would allow our community to be unaffected while the boats arrive.

“Since this bridge was built, my worst fears have come true, as there have been numerous malfunctions and problems over the years.”

A Scottish Canals spokesman said: “We are aware of the disrepair of the surface of the Bonnybridge lift bridge and are currently working with Falkirk Council to arrange repairs.

“An obstacle on Monday, November 4, caused the bridge to fail to return to its fully closed position.

“As a result, we responded on site to rectify this situation and our teams worked diligently and safely to resolve the issue, allowing the bridge to return to its fully closed position.

“The bridge continues to be used regularly by heavy goods vehicles.

“By restricting heavy goods vehicles from crossing the bridge, the amount of damage and disruption will be significantly reduced.

“Scottish Canals meets regularly with Falkirk Council to discuss both short-term and long-term options for the lift bridge and these options are still being discussed.

“We will continue to work with Falkirk Council to keep this important link open to the community and other road users.”

Falkirk Council has been approached for comment.

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