'Fears North Staffordshire bridge could tumble into canal' - Cheddleton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UK
N 53° 03.967 W 002° 01.741
30U E 565062 N 5880066
Basford Bridge No 44 is located on the Caldon Canal at Basford Bridge Road in Cheddleton.
Waymark Code: WM16BTJ
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 06/25/2022
Views: 1
Basford Bridge No 44 is located on the Caldon Canal Branch of the Trent and Mersey Canal, near to the Churnet Valley Railway Station at Cheddleton.
The stone arch bridge carries Basford Bridge Lane over the canal. (
visit link)
The Caldon Branch of the Trent and Mersey Canal was built between Etruria and Froghall in 1776 at a cost of £23,560 and opened in 1779. It was built specifically to carry limestone from the quarries at Cauldon Low, near Froghall to Stoke-on-Trent. (
visit link)
A news report about the bridge by Les Jackson appeared on StokeonTrentLive on the 18th June 2022 and reads as follows;
'Fears North Staffordshire bridge could tumble into canal'
Hundreds of thousands of pounds has been spent on the structure in Cheddleton
Fears have been expressed that a narrow bridge which has so far cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to repair could fall into the Caldon Canal, injuring barge users or walkers. Despite the large sums of money spent on repair work and installing signage on the main A520 overweight heavy HGV lorries along with huge tractors and trailers continue to use the maximum weight of the 7.5 ton bridge which is located in Basford Bridge Lane, Cheddleton.
The bridge has been a topic of frustration for a long time for parish councillors at a time when more lorries are using and damaging the narrow bridge despite the weight restriction. At a meeting of Cheddleton Parish Council last week, chairman of the council’s planning and amenities committee, Councillor Mike Bowen said: “We have contacted the chief executive of Staffordshire County Council and the police and crime commissioner, but we have not had any acknowledgement or answers.
“It is disgusting that public servants can’t answer emails. We have got to get our heads together. It cost £127,000 last time to do repair work. We want Staffordshire County Council to take responsibility and for the police to play their part. The bridge could drop into a passing canal boat.
READ: Broadband firm hit with £2.4k of roadworks fines for causing mass disruption
“We are sick of Staffordshire County Council doing nothing. We must state our dissatisfaction.”
Councillor Harold Jennings said: “This has gone on long enough. We have tried all roads that we can go down.
“We have not been listened to, they need to sit around a table with us. It has to be sorted. The only way is a site meeting to look at the bridge and the damage. A solution has got to be looked for.”
Councillor Mike Worthington, who is also a county councillor said: “I thought Staffordshire County Council were coming out to look at it. Write to them for a meeting. Stopping access is the only way, but people do not want the road closed. It is all down to finance.”
Councillor Lisa Salt said that there was a cost to rebuild the bridge every time, while Councillor Caroline Lovatt, said the matter was a drain on public funds. Speaking after the meeting parish and district councillor Sav Scalise, who was not allowed to speak at the meeting as he was not a member of the committee, said: “Several hundreds of thousands of pounds has been spent on this issue.
“The signage does not work. There is a need to restrict articulated vehicles which keep coming down the road.
“The issues have been reported to the police, but nothing has been done. Someone will die before anything is done as barges are coming through the canal all the time. Money is being thrown away as the signage is no good.”
The Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime and Staffordshire County Council have both spoken on the issue. Commissioner Ben Adams said: “I have been made aware of highways issues related to the narrow bridge in Cheddleton which are a concern to local residents. I understand that highways options are actively being considered to address the problems and I am encouraged that so many senior officers and councillors have been engaged in tackling this challenging issue.”
Staffordshire County Council said they did not have the powers to enforce the restriction. David Williams, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “The county council has fully met and implemented all its statutory obligations but we are well aware of the continuing issue here, which appears to involve a mixture of local and non-local traffic.
“We are working with partners to try and resolve this and having discussed the matter this week with Staffordshire Police, representatives of the parish council and the Canal and River Trust, we will further publicise the restriction and discuss with the police how the restriction can be enforced.”