A FOOTBRIDGE crossing the railway line linking Malvern and Ledbury has been taken away to be repaired.

The bridge, at Colwall station, was dismantled and removed by contractors working for Network Rail overnight between Saturday and Sunday, 19 and 20.

The bridge carries a footpath which is often used by people to go walking on the Malvern Hills after they have parked in Colwall.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: "Owing to the natural deterioration of the original steel construction, many parts of the structure are in increasingly poor condition which could cause permanent closure of the footbridge or danger to the railway below if repairs were not carried out.

"These works will address those areas that are in most need of repair. We will be removing vegetation, replacing or repairing rusted and deteriorated areas of steelwork and repainting the whole of the structure.

"In order to reduce the disturbance to local residents, the bridge was removed from the station and refurbished in a location away from site.

"It will then be returned several weeks later having been repaired and re-painted to be reinstalled in its original position.

"This will require access across the railway to be closed for several weeks with a diversion in place while these works are carried out."

The bridge is thought to have been erected at Colwall after having been relocated from the defunct Malvern Wells railway station.