A DORSET Council “typo” has led to confusion over the number of collapsed bridges in the county.
An FOI submitted by The RAC Foundation looking into the number of substandard and collapsed bridges initially found that 12 bridges had completely collapsed in the Dorset Council area in 2021.
However Dorset Council, when contacted by the Daily Echo, said the figure was a “typo” and in fact no bridges collapsed in the council area.
Out of 887 bridges in the area, Dorset Council identified six that were unable to carry the heaviest vehicles regularly using highways – including lorries up to 44 tonnes – in 2021.
Cllr Ray Bryan, portfolio holder for highways said: “We are responsible for six bridges that are weight restricted, with many other bridges in the Dorset Council area where weight restrictions apply but are managed by other organisations such as Network Rail.
“Our six weight-restricted bridges are all historic and in rural locations, adding to the character of these Dorset towns and villages.
In the BCP Council area three of 159 bridges were identified as substandard and unable to carry the heaviest vehicles.
Bridges may be deemed substandard because they were built to earlier design standards, while others have deteriorated through age and use.
Many are subject to weight restrictions, while others are under programmes of increased monitoring or even managed decline.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We are providing more than £5 billion of investment over 2020 to 2025 for highways maintenance to local highways authorities across England, including for the repair and maintenance of bridges.
"It is up to councils to decide how they use highways maintenance funding, based on their own needs and priorities."
The figures also show Dorset Council and BCP Council do not intend to return any of its bridges to full carrying capacity in the next five years.
The councils said a couple of bridges would ideally be brought up to scratch over this period if it did not face budget limitations.
Councils across the country said they would fix 2,374 bridges without budget restrictions, but just 379 are anticipated to be restored within the next half a decade.
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