Dozens of bridges in Fife deemed sub-standard says RAC Foundation research

That is according to analysis by motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, which has revealed more than 3,100 council-owned bridges across Britain cannot carry the heaviest vehicles as of October.

In Fife, 48 bridges were found to be below standard as of October – around 12% of the 397 managed by the council.

This means they were unable to support the heaviest loads, such as lorries of up to 44 tonnes.

The council said it would ideally return 47 to full capacity – but due to budget restrictions only expects to do so with seven over the next five years.

There were 3,105 below-par bridges across Britain, according to the research – up from 3,055 a year earlier.

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Many of the structures are subject to weight restrictions, while others are under programmes of Councils also reported that, at the time they responded in October last year, 10 bridges across Britain had fully collapsed in the previous 12 months, while a further 30 had partially collapsed – including one in Fife.

Steve Gooding, RAC Foundation director, said: “There has been a worrying decline in the number of inspections carried out to examine just how much damage rivers, and the debris they carry, are doing to bridges below the waterline.”

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