A WORRIED resident is calling for Sat Nav routes across a 17th century packhorse bridge to be blocked as the only way to save it.

Concrete parapets have been installed at Blakey Bridge in Sowerby, near Thirsk, to try and stop wider vehicles going through it, but resident Dr John Gibbins said damage is still being done to the Grade II listed bridge. Over the past 18 months, while the nearby junction on the main A168 was closed during work to improve access for the 900-home Sowerby Gateway development, Dr Gibbins said Blakey Bridge became a rat run.

The Northern Echo:

The new junction is now open and highways officials say there has been no new damage to the bridge.

But Dr Gibbins said: “Unsuitable vehicles are still going through there, I’ve seen them forcing their way through, and the damage is ongoing. It is madness because Sat Navs can still direct traffic along that route. We really need a campaign to stop that happening, there must be something that can be done.

“It is an ongoing problem for people in Sowerby. There has been a catalogue of issues with the bridge, it became a rat run while the junction was being altered and people carry on using it the same way.”

The road has been closed for months at a time in the past because of damage often caused by heavy vehicles or coaches. It was built as a packhorse bridge for horses, carts, pedestrians and sheep in the 17th century.

The Northern Echo:

North Yorkshire County Council highways area manager Andy Davies said: “To improve safety for road users as well as to protect the bridge, last year we introduced a width restriction on Blakey Bridge. This work physically narrowed the carriageway to 2.2m. Signs, including a vehicle-activated sign, are in place to alert drivers to this restriction. We have also removed all signs to Sowerby via Blakey Lane. Sowerby is now signed only via the new junction on the A168 or through Thirsk Market Place.

“This work has succeeded in reducing vehicles’ approach speeds and has reduced the number of large vehicles using the bridge. Unfortunately, there is always the potential for some drivers of vehicles wider than the restricted width to choose to ignore the warning signs. However, since implementing this scheme, we are not aware of any damage to the bridge parapets.”