SATELLITE navigation played a part in the damage that left the historic Ludford Bridge closed for repairs for nearly three months earlier this year.

It has also been revealed that a second part of historic Ludlow nearly got damaged in the incident in February.

Glyn Shaw, Traffic Engineer with Shropshire Council, told a public meeting in Ludlow about the bridge that satellite navigation had directed a driver bringing tarmac over Ludford Bridge.

The navigation system also tried to take the heavy lorry up Broad Street and through the narrow and historic Broadgate.

It was a dark night but fortunately the driver saw the Broadgate in time and was able to stop.

However, it was in reversing backwards that the lorry struck Ludford Bridge.

But Glyn Shaw said that the driver of the lorry had done nothing wrong in using Ludford Bridge.

“There is no mandatory restriction on any vehicle using Ludford Bridge and he was doing nothing wrong but was following his satellite navigation rather than looking for road signs,” he said.

It has been revealed that the cost of repairs to the bridge came to £75,000.

Shropshire Council has defended the decision not to reopen the bridge in time for the May Fair on the grounds that it would have involved removing scaffolding that would have had to be reinstated to finish the work and this would have added too much to the cost.

A team of senior managers from Shropshire Council attended the local joint committee meeting at the Elim Church in Ludlow to discuss the incident at Ludford Bridge.

An assurance was given about the safety of Ludford Bridge following the unexpected collapse in May of the historic bridge over the River Teme at Eastham near Tenbury.