Work to repair a damaged railway bridge is scheduled to overrun into mid-December after heavy corrosion was found.

Network Rail alerted residents living near to the Hamstreet rail bridge that the work will now continue until Friday, December 18.

Only intended to be a small job, Ashford Road was closed on October 14 but early surveying found heavy corrosion in the girders holding up the crossing.

According to one nearby business owner, contractors will be bringing in a crane to replace a section of the bridge.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: "Passengers on the railway will notice little difference as services will continue as normal with a single line over the bridge continuing to operate.

"Investigations to the bridge during early works found that some large structural components have corroded affecting the girders holding up the bridge.

"Those sections need replacing which requires a temporary scaffold platform and supports.

"Unfortunately, that means that for safety reasons the road underneath must stay closed and road users will need to follow a marked diversion via the A2070 and Ashford Road."

The structure is so weak that freight trains are temporarily barred from using the line due to their weight.

Richard Crew, senior asset engineer for Network Rail, said: “Temporary repairs are ongoing to the Hamstreet road bridge and while we're able to ensure rail passengers are unaffected by keeping one line open, for safety reasons the road must remain closed, for which we apologise to road users.

“Once our repairs are done the bridge should not need further attention for many years and we thank road users for their patience while we work safely to complete the repairs.”

Nearby homeowners and members of the Hamstreet Primary School community have had letters distributed to them to notify them of the changed scheduled.

Resident Christine Young said: "It's a job that needs doing. I can't complain about it as it's got to be done.

"It's inconvenient, but it's important that if they've found more problems then they fix them."

A statement from Orlestone Parish Council reads: "While Orlestone Parish council understands the bridge is in need of critical safety repairs, we are very disappointed that this has led to the extended closure of the main access road into the village.

"The alternative routes add a lot more time onto peoples journeys.

"We hope this important work is concluded as soon as possible."

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