The public can have their say on plans to replace a Victorian bridge which residents are desperate to preserve.

Essex County Council wants to replace Boxted Bridge, which is 125-years-old, after an inspection in 2018 found it had major structural faults.

But the plans have faced fierce opposition from residents, who have set up a campaign group called Save Our Bridge, as well as a petition to force the council into a rethink.

The plans have now been lodged with Colchester Council and the public can have their say on the proposals until Friday January 28. The county council will determine the application.

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The bridge, which carries Wick Road and Lower Farm Road over the River Stour in the Dedham Vale was built in 1897, and has been described as “a mini-masterpiece of late Victorian engineering” by architectural historian and BBC television presenter Dan Cruickshank.

But Essex County Council has maintained replacing the bridge is the safest long-term solution, and added it intended to maintain “the trapezoidal view of the bridge”.

The plans to replace Boxted Bridge can be viewed on www.colchester.gov.uk/planning-search-results.