Builder of collapsed bridge says he warned council

The builder of a landmark bridge that has collapsed says he warned the council and offered to secure it after it first malfunctioned.

Pero's Bridge in Bristol was closed in August when a lifting mechanism failed. On Saturday, it collapsed, leaving part of it submerged in water.

Bristol City Council said there was "no confirmed impact to the maintenance and refurbishment programme" which would see it reopen in Spring 2027.

David Abels who built the structure, said he had sent an email to the council to say he would be able to assist in the repair of the bridge, warning it could slip further if nothing was done. The council confirmed it received the email and passed it onto the engineering team.

"It can still slip further. It's not on the bottom of the harbour, it's hanging on the pier," Abels said.

"This is going to cost unbelievable amounts of money. It's unnecessary.

"I'm upset something I've built has been damaged. It could be relatively easily fixed but it's a pickle."

Andrew Brown, chair of the harbour committee at Bristol City Council, said a team was sent to the bridge on Sunday to inspect the damage and pick up some of the debris.

"We won't know the full extent of any additional damage until the bridge has been brought to dry dock where we can fully examine and work out the extent of additional work that may be required," he said.

"There's been work happening in the background, it was not just left. It all took time," added Brown.

"It is regrettable that it has collapsed, it's only about 25 years old."

He added that love locks that had been left on the bridge created "additional weight and stress".

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