GIVEN what happened to Tadcaster’s bridge in the 2015 floods, it was only sensible that, once the waters had subsided, City of York Council should commission a survey of the state of York’s bridges - particularly those over the Foss, which had been so swollen.

Underwater and above ground inspections of the Foss bridges concluded most were generally in good condition. A report obtained by The Press under Freedom of Information legislation, however, revels that this is far from the case with the Blue Bridge.

The report, dated October 2016, concluded that the bridge was in ‘very poor condition due to the state of the timber deck, which requires attention immediately.’ It identified rotting and loose timber beams, and suggested that £15,000 should be spent on replacing deck timbers.

Nine months on from that report, however, little has been done to make the bridge safe, apart from laying a non-slip covering across the deck boards.

This is a bridge used by hundreds of pedestrians and cyclists every day. A quick investigation by The Press revealed that some of the timbers were so badly rotted at the edges that fragments were breaking away. So why hasn’t the bridge been repaired?

A council spokesman would say only that it ‘remains our intention to carry out further work’. But the spokesman added: “We have no concerns about the safety of the bridge.”

Why not, given that nine months ago, experts identified it as needing immediate attention?

Fishergate councillor Andy D’Agorne says replacing the timber decking should now be a priority. We entirely agree.