ACCIDENT blackspot Coniston Bridge has been demolished again.

The latest incident, last Thursday morning, took place before the highways authority had carried out permanent repairs following the last crash there 16 months ago.

In this latest incident, a Peugeot 405 estate, driven by 38-year-old John Hayes, of Rathmell, knocked down six metres of parapet wall before coming to rest partially overhanging the River Aire.

Luckily, Mr Hayes was not hurt.

The accident overtook efforts by Coniston Cold Parish Council to get the listed structure permanently repaired. Councillors felt the bridge was not safe with just a temporary repair, carried out after the last crash in December 1998.

Clerk Anne Strange told the Herald the temporary repair appeared to use broken stone and did not involve the reinstatement of a centre post.

"It wouldn't have taken much to knock it down again," she added.

She said since the temporary repair, maintenance of the A65 had passed to Lancashire County Council and nobody seemed to know much about it. She had also inquired about the insurance money after a wagon demolished the wall in the December 1998 accident.

"If they claimed it, where has it gone? Did they ever claim it?," asked Mrs Strange. "This bridge should have been repaired with the insurance money. Anyway, that's all immaterial now because it's been knocked down again and we're back to square one."

The parish council has previously backed the idea that if a bypass is not going to happen, permanent traffic lights should be installed on the narrow bridge to improve safety.

Mrs Strange said: "We don't consider the bridge is safe. It will always be an accident waiting to happen. It is just too narrow for a major road. A bypass would be the ultimate solve-all, that is our dream."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.