TOWN councillors are hoping water company engineers may have solved a £100,000 problem for them which may help to keep down future Wellington council tax bills.

Wessex Water has built a bridge on top of an existing bridge at Wellington Basins to allow it to carry out work on sewers running beneath Great Meadow and Marsh Mead.

The current bridge is among several small plots of land in the Basins area which the council is buying from the Crown Estate, which has held them since a former Tonedale Mill owner went bust.

But, the bridge, which crosses a stream at the foot of the Linden House nursing home driveway, has been declared structurally unsafe by Somerset Council, with notices posted to say it should not be used.

Town councillors were quoted up to £100,000 to rebuild the bridge should it collapse after they took ownership, and so agreed to set aside £20,000 a year to build up a pot of money for when it finally gave way.

Now, councillors are trying to persuade Wessex Water to leave its bridge in place, which could allow many more years in which to raise the funds for a new structure.

A water company spokesperson said: “We are re-lining two sewers beneath the Basins using ‘no dig’ trench-less technology that minimises excavation, significantly reducing any environmental impact and disruption to the surrounding area.

“The temporary bridge provides safe access for construction vehicles and will be removed once the project has been completed.”

Town council chief executive Dave Farrow said he was seeking clarification from Wessex Water o whether the temporary bridge needed to be removed or if it could be left in place.

Mr Farrow said although the old bridge was closed, it could not be enforced because the structure was not technically in anybody’s ownership.