A COUNTY MP has been in discussions with the army after an historic bridge collapsed into the river Teme at Eastham.

The bridge, near Tenbury, suddenly crumbled and fell into the river on Tuesday afternoon and drivers now face a 10-mile diversion route via the A443.

West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has been working on potential solutions to the problem with local army representatives.

Mrs Baldwin met with members of the community on Friday and was told a temporary Bailey bridge has previously been sited yards from the current river crossing during the Second World War.

She said: "Having spoken to the villagers, it is clear that they want a short-term solution to minimise the impact of the bridge collapse on the village, while the county council investigates the collapse and decides on a long-term solution.

"Clearly the army doesn't just deploy without a strict protocol, which in this case puts the Worcestershire County Council in charge of requesting their help.

"The army and the council are now in touch and I will ask the county to see if the army can come and do a rapid recce of the situation."

Following a visit by Worcestershire County Council highways manager, John Hobbs, to the site on Friday, chief executive Clare Marchant has appointed a project manager to lead the county’s response to the incident.

Two minibus drivers carrying schoolchildren had a narrow escape when they reversed off it seconds before it fell away, avoiding disaster by a matter of seconds.

The county council has confirmed it is carrying out a detailed inspection of the bridge and is in contact with the Environment Agency, English Heritage and Natural England over it.

On Friday it emerged how the structure had last been inspected in December last year, with highways engineers going above and beyond Government guidelines on it.