A council is taking action following a demonstration in a Suffolk town over a closed bridge path and an "eyesore" fence sealing it off.
About 60 people protested at the White Bridge on Millenium Green in Halesworth on Friday over the closure of the crossing and a large metal fence being put up.
Suffolk County Council (SCC) had closed the bridge and put up the 10-foot high steel fence to block people crossing due to "safety concerns".
But following Friday's protest the county council said it had found fresh funding for a replacement bridge.
Formally access across the White Bridge from the cycle path in Halesworth to the Folly on the Holton side had been closed since August 2022.
It had bollards that people could squeeze through.
The council said the bollards had failed to deter people from crossing the unsafe bridge and they had been vandalised
Workers spent two days installing the 10-foot high steel fence which caused outcry in the community.
Suffolk County councillor for Halesworth, Annette Dunning, was "dismayed" that access had been prohibited without being informed by council officials that this would be the course of action.
She said: "I am dismayed to hear of those who have now stopped coming into town for their shopping, possibly their only daily exercise because now they are unable to make the long route around.
"Their health and well-being are paramount and it is desperately sad that this closure has interrupted their way of life.
"However, the decision was made to make a more permanent wall to eliminate the risk of collapse as you can imagine the worry at SCC should anyone be on the bridge at the time of collapse and this was done without notification to me as the local Suffolk County councillor.
"I have received an apology.
"The apology does not help, but it does go to highlight how worried they are for the safety of those still trying to use the bridge, even when asked not to.
"The ongoing solution now lies in the hands of Suffolk County Council and their budget and staffing capabilities."
In an email to some of the protestors, councillor Paul West, cabinet member responsible for operational highways and flooding at Suffolk County Council, said the authority had been given fresh funding to enable work on a replacement bridge to start.
He said: "Replacement of the White Bridge and reopening of Footpath 11 is a high priority for us, but the demands on our available budget are high.
"We have however just received some additional funding from the government for highway maintenance, announced in the March Budget, which will now enable us to allocate funding for the design and construction of this bridge.
"We are now assessing options for resourcing the design and construction within an accelerated timescale."
A timeframe for when the bridge will be built is not yet clear.
Mr West said: "We are progressing with surveys and design work to inform cost estimates for the replacement bridge, and discussing this with the landowners, the Millennium Green Trust and the local county councillor."
Halesworth Millennium Green Trust, a charity, is the owner of 55-plus acres of public access land which is connected by the bridge.
The green trustees with the support of Cllr Dunning have been pressing SCC to fast-track the repair or replacement of the bridge.
Alan Denny has lived in Halesworth for 83 years and says the bridge is "vital to the town".
Mr Denney, 88, said: "The bridge is vital to the town, it is so important, I am delighted that the council have listened to the people.
"I hope they don't mess us about and get a replacement bridge sorted quicky."
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