A FLEDGLING campaign to restore a closed Halstead footbridge has been shelved after council bosses said repairs would cost hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The bridge in Chapel Street has been out of action since 2014 after it was assessed to be too dangerous to be used any more.

Halstead residents expressed interested in raising the funds through the community, but this is now highly unlikely after Essex County Council estimated that could cost “several hundred thousand pounds”.

Halstead Town Council is keen to see the return of the footbridge, but does not have the funds for large-scale projects.

The bridge is owned by the Crown Estates, which refuses to do any maintenance or repair work to it.

Braintree Council and Essex County Council are unwilling to adopt the bridge, meaning it has been left to deteriorate for more than 18 months.

Shirley Diver, chairman of Halstead Town Council, said: “I have heard figures before, they are always very large amounts, much more than we could afford to do.

“I live at this end of town, so I do miss having the footbridge.

“It is something the council are looking into but it is a different matter having the commitment and the finances to put it into fruition.

“Once you start doing anything on it, it becomes your property, and you have to make sure that not only can you build it, but you also have to to have the funding to support and maintain it over the years.

“It is a lot more than a one-off payment, it is a hugely serious commitment. I am not saying we don’t want to take it on, not at all, but financially we have to be wary.”

An Essex Highways spokesman said: “A project like this involves a lot of work to investigate exactly what foundations need to be built, what materials are suitable and whether there are any issues with the site itself.

“It is likely that the final, overall cost would be several hundred thousand pounds.”