PEOPLE in Eastham are trying to come to terms with the news that Worcestershire County Council has fallen down on its promise to have a temporary bridge in place by Christmas.

Now there is no date available when a replacement may be available for the 200 year old bridge that fell into the River Teme more than three months ago on a quiet May afternoon.

Villagers had been promised that a temporary replacement would be built by the end of the year but now County Council chiefs say that this will not be possible.

They are suggesting that it may not even be possible to have a temporary structure at all but that people having to cope with a round trip diversion of almost an hour may have to wait until it is possible to build a permanent new bridge.

No indication is being given as to when this might happen but people, including families with children at Lindridge School, now know that they face a nightmare winter of having to negotiate narrow country lanes.

Villagers hope that there may be more information next week when Ken Pollock, who represents Tenbury on Worcestershire County Council, is expected to report to a meeting of Tenbury Town Council.

This will be held in the Pump Rooms at 7pm on Tuesday, September 6.

Initial findings suggest that the collapse of the bridge that but for luck would have occurred when it was being used by school buses, happened because of erosion of the foundations by the River Teme.