GOOD progress is being made in building the new Eastham Bridge.

Work on the steel spans to the bridge will be followed by the construction of the balustrades and carriageway.

It is still hoped that the bridge that replaces the one that collapsed last May will be open in the spring.

But Ken Pollock who represents Tenbury on Worcestershire County Council says that there have been some violations of special routes for construction traffic.

There had also been an incident in which a lorry had jack-knifed at The Fox Inn causing other routes to have to be used.

He added that while the county council has 17,000 tonnes of salt in store there had been some concerns about the treatment of roads.

“There has also been concern about gritting,” said Ken Pollock.

“In some occasions, the drop in temperature comes too soon after rain for normal gritting, leading to some roads being missed.

“It is better to grit before the temperature drops below freezing but it is not useful if the surface is still wet from rain in the last two hours.

“In addition the brine-making machine was out of action over Christmas, meaning dry grit has had to be spread.”