WORK to replace a weak bridge in Ramsey will start next week. Wells Bridge, in Ramsey Forty Foot on the C85 between Ramsey Forty Foot and Pondersbridge, will be closed on January 29. Work is expected to last for 25 weeks. A Cambridgeshire County Council

WORK to replace a weak bridge in Ramsey will start next week.

Wells Bridge, in Ramsey Forty Foot on the C85 between Ramsey Forty Foot and Pondersbridge, will be closed on January 29. Work is expected to last for 25 weeks.

A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesman said: "The bridge is not safe enough to carry 40-tonne vehicles so we are replacing it completely."

The scheme, costing £700,000, will see a bend straightened slightly and the bridge will be made wider.

"It is a Fenland bridge and the ground conditions are not always ideal," the spokesman said.

"We know it is in an area heavily used by agriculture vehicles and very heavy machinery. We apologise for any delays we are causing by closing the road.

"It is always a very hard decision to take but, in this case, we must close the road to replace the bridge."

The road links the Forty Foot Drain Road with Bodsey Toll Road and Oilmills Road. Drivers will use diversions along these roads and Muchwood Lane. Traffic from Pondersbridge will be diverted along the B1040 through Ramsey St Mary to Ramsey, on to Stockingfen Road and Muchwood lane and on to the B1096.