Historic Aberdeenshire bridge suffers 'significant damage' in vehicle collision

A historic bridge that connects the two Aberdeenshire towns of Macduff and Banff has been “significantly” damaged after being hit by a vehicle.

The Banff bridge, which has spanned the mouth of the River Deveron since 1779, has lost around 39ft of its stone parapet following the incident.

A further inspection of the damage is scheduled for the coming days.

The bridge will remain open with temporary safety measures in place, including concrete barriers and a 20mph speed limit.

Concrete barriers to protect traffic over the bridge. Aberdeenshire Council

Surveys will have to be conducted of the ground below, which recently underwent scouring-protection works.

A spokesperson for Aberdeenshire Council said: “Significant damage has been caused to the A-listed Banff Bridge following a vehicle collision, resulting in around 12 metres of the parapet being destroyed down to road level.

“Further inspection work will be undertaken over the coming days to confirm the full extent of the damage and to inform the design of the permanent repair, however, at present we are satisfied that the bridge can remain open safely with temporary protection measures in place, including additional traffic management signage and a 20mph speed limit.

A large portion of the wall fell into the river valley. Aberdeenshire Council

“These arrangements will be further reviewed over the coming days to determine if further measures are required to appropriately manage traffic flows.

“The upstream footway has also been closed to pedestrians as the temporary barriers prevent pedestrian access.”