Fifteen-mile diversion to avoid Bromham bridge branded as '˜crazy'

Bedford Borough Council has published a public notice announcing that Village Road will be closed for bridge repairs for two weeks at the end of this month.

The notice gives details of the diversion route, which has been slammed as downright crazy by residents.

It takes drivers on to the A428 via Box End Road, then into Turvey.

From Turvey they will be directed to Carlton, where they will drive through the village to Stevington.

From Stevington they will drive along three roads before ending up back in Bromham, at the other end of Village Road.

“This has to be the longest diversion ever! It’s between 12 and 15 miles long and it will cause havoc in these tiny villages that are not designed for this kind of traffic,” said one motorist.

Residents say a much easier – and quicker – diversion would be to detour along Bromham’s Berry Drive and Grange Lane to come out at the other side of the bridge.

“That would be about three quarters of a mile, Heavy lorries might have to go a slightly different route, but even that would only be just over a mile long,” said the motorist.

A council spokesman said: “Village Road will be closed for up to two weeks from October 29 to enable essential bridge repairs. With weight restrictions and narrow bends on nearby routes a signed diversion will be in place during the closure and in line with legislation requirements will use equivalent or higher category roads that provide a safe and accessible route for vehicles.”