Historic 'main artery' bridge may be forced to shut

A 200-year-old cast-iron bridge said to be the second largest of its kind in the world may have to be shut because drivers are repeatedly breaking its weight restrictions.

Staffordshire's Chetwynd Bridge - Grade II-listed and the last remaining one of its type in England - had a 7.5 tonne weight limit and a 2.3m (7ft 6in) width limit imposed after significant structural defects were discovered in 2020.

Now businesses in nearby Alrewas, including the National Memorial Arboretum, farmers and the organisers of three festivals, have called for a new bridge to be built urgently.

Staffordshire County Council said that while it was drawing up plans for a new structure, funding for it was an issue.

James Daw, a farmer who owns land either side of the bridge told the BBC the weight restriction had had a "massive impact" on his business.

"We've had to buy an extra tractor and trailer and go right through the middle of Lichfield and Tamworth, which of course causes chaos in peak times, to get our potatoes to the store and that is crazy," he said.

"Likewise, with cereals, we're carting 2,500 tonnes now in the other direction, because we store the grain at the other farm. It's had a huge impact.

"It's taken us in busy periods an hour longer [than usual]. We now have to employ seasonally an extra worker during the harvest of potatoes and cereals.

"It's an inconvenience to other road users being stuck being tractors and trailers for so much longer."

Mr Daw said he has seen people breaking the limits on the bridge "almost daily".

The county council agreed that a small number of drivers were ignoring the restrictions, risking further damage to the bridge.

Dave Robertson, Labour MP for Lichfield, said it was a "real worry" should the bridge need to close completely.

"I know that will have such a significant impact on lives and livelihoods," Mr Robertson said.

"It could mean businesses closing, it could mean people not being able to get to and from work.

"It's a major artery that links Derbyshire and Staffordshire.

"This is a great example of a really important piece of infrastructure that hasn't been looked after and hasn't been brought into the 21st Century."

Mr Robertson, along with multiple businesses and other MPs, is calling for the government to grant funding for a replacement bridge under its new Structures Fund.

The scheme, which was announced by the chancellor in June 2025, will help to repair run down bridges, decaying flyovers and worn out tunnels.

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said it could not comment on individual schemes.

Rachael Greenfield, director of Bloodstock Festival, which takes place at Catton Park close to the bridge, said the "worst case scenario" could mean the festival having to move.

She said: "We don't want to, it's a brilliant site where we are. If they don't put a replacement bridge in situ, if that bridge should shut, then it's a conversation we need to have.

"All of our build and break traffic has to re-route around 18 miles, rather than use the bridge because of the weight and width restrictions."

Ms Greenfield explained it has led them to incur additional costs.

"But we've now got the issue of the council saying to us, 'This bridge could close at any time' and if that should happen, it would have a massive impact on the local community," she continued.

"All these small villages are not built for a high volume of traffic that a 20,000 capacity event would hold. It's kind of the perfect storm."

The bridge is a "perfect example" of where some of the Structures Fund could go, she said.

"It's a historical bridge, it needs to stay there, but we desperately need this new bridge," she added.

"The events at Catton Park have brought £160m into the local economy in the last 10 years, and that's all in jeopardy moving forward."

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