A Burton man who helps young people across the town get to grips with parenthood has told of the "unprecedented" impact the three month closure of St Peter's Bridge will have on his outreach programme and other support services for people young and old.

Ian North, chief executive of Harvey Girls and Dads4Dads which provides support for young parents in East Staffordshire said he was "extremely disappointed" and "surprised" to hear that St Peter's Bridge would be closing for three months, while Staffordshire County Council carries out essential works.

Ian, who lives in Winshill, said his service will suffer as a result of the maintenance and he worries people will be put off using the town.

He said: "I understand the need for the repairs but this will have a tremendous impact on our programme and any support services which help people in their homes. It will severely affect our support for young families as we have to get around areas such as Burton, Horninglow, Winshill and Stapenhill.

"A big part of our work is visiting the clients in their homes and we are going to end up spending the majority of time sat in traffic.

"I don’t know if enough thought has been put into it and if it has to be shut completely. There has been very little consultation and the news was quite a surprise."

This photograph of a life expired bearing shows the extent of the corrosion

Ian said he is unsure of how the town will cope with the disruption.

He said: "My fear is that it is going to adjust the working day. People will try to stagger their working hours so they are not caught up in the queues but there is only so much we will be able to do and with the kids going back to school at the same time, the timing is not great.

"Everything is going to grind to a halt leading up to Christmas and it is going to deter people from coming to Burton."

Despite his concerns, Ian said "credit needs to be paid" to Staffordshire county councillor Conor Wileman who helped secure the £6.1 million needed for the repairs.

He said: "Conor Wileman has done a great job securing the money but I think the problem is down to poor planning in the past. Credit needs to go to Conor because if he had not gone to the trouble to get that funding, the outcome would be unthinkable. Who knows what might have happened?"

The bridge was last resurfaced 20 years ago and the bearings are corroded

The major work to the busy route will begin on August 29 and will take place until November.

Vital strengthening work, along with waterproofing and resurfacing, will allow HGVs to continue to access the town, and will be followed by improvements to Burton Bridge in the new year.

Traffic will be diverted via Burton Bridge and pedestrians to the Ferry Bridge while the repairs take place.

Mark Deaville is the council's cabinet member responsible for highways. He said: "This is an important investment in the gateways to the town and will help make a real difference to the long-term prosperity of people in Burton.

"The improvements will ensure that these bridges, which form vital links through Burton, will be free of unplanned and disruptive maintenance work in the future, and help support local businesses and economic growth.

"We know that the work will cause some disruption but we will be doing everything we can to minimise this and get the work done as efficiently as possible. I would ask people to bear with us as the work is carried out and thank them in advance for their co-operation and patience."

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