A BRIDGE in an Oxfordshire village should have a lower weight limit placed on it to prevent damage, a council has heard.

Oxfordshire County Council is placing weight limits on the bridges over the Windrush river at Asthall and Minster Lovell, and is updating a weight limit on the Evenlode river bridge at Charlbury.

The bridge at Asthall will have a three-tonne weight and two-metre width restriction; the Charlbury bridge will have a 7.5 tonne weight restriction; and the Minster Lovell bridge will have an 18 tonne weight restriction.

All of the restrictions will stop lorries or other vehicles from passing over the old bridges if they are above the weight limit.

But at a meeting on Thursday, the county council's cabinet member for transport, Yvonne Constance, heard that the Minster Lovell bridge should also have a 7.5 tonne limit.

ALSO READ: Thieves steal jet washer and golf clubs

Jonathan Stowell, of Minster Lovell Parish Council showed Ms Constance photographs of a large crack in the stonework on the bridge.

He said that the weight limit of 18 tonnes would not be enough to guarantee that the bridge would last for 'another 200 or 300 years'.

Oxford Mail:

Jonathan Stowell of Minster Lovell Parish Council (bottom right) holds up a photo showing a crack in the bridge

Council staff member James Wright said that changing the weight limit would not be possible under the plans.

But Ms Constance invited Mr Stowell and Minster Lovell Parish Council to apply for a weight restriction to lower the limit on the bridge.

She also pledged that Oxfordshire County Council would pay for the survey which would need to be done to justify this new 7.5 tonne weight limit.