Following a vehicle collision with the 600-year-old Eamont Bridge last Saturday, substantial damage has been caused to the stone wall of the bridge, including a large section been completely knocked out and other sections of the bridge have been heavily cracked.
Westmorland and Furness Council has bolstered the temporary barriers at the site to ensure the bridge remains safe for vehicles using the A6.
A council spokesperson said: “We are currently inspecting to ascertain the full extent of the damage. We will then undertake retrieval of the dislodged stonework to allow reuse in the Scheduled Ancient Monument where possible.”
Plans for repairs will require careful consideration due to the heritage stonework of the Grade I listed structure, which is the oldest bridge still in daily use in the county. The bridge carries hundreds of vehicles daily on the A6 over the River Eamont and once marked the boundary between the historic counties of Cumberland and Westmorland.
The original bridge was widened in 1875 using much of the original stonework, with the parapet partly rebuilt in local red sandstone to form the bridge still in use today.
Adding to the uncertainty over when works to repairs the bridge can be carried out is the need for the council to also obtain permission to carry out work within the river in order to recover stonework that has fallen into the water and to complete repairs, due to the river’s statutory environmental designations.
Speaking with Penrith.Town News this week the council said: “We cannot therefore state at this stage when repairs will be undertaken.”
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