Additional reporting by Kayla Harriss

A weight restriction is being imposed on a “failing” bridge used by hundreds of drivers every day - meaning long diversions for heavier vehicles.

It will come into force early next year after engineers said a survey of the 50-year-old Grove Ferry bridge near Upstreet, Canterbury, revealed weakened joints.

Eventually, Kent County Council (KCC) will replace it with an all-new structure with a more modern design in 2026 when a full road closure will be required.

Strengthening the existing bridge, which goes over the River Stour, is said not to be an option.

At the moment, it is currently able to withstand 17 tonnes - but that is set to be cut to 7.5 tonnes early next year.

The incoming weight restriction is likely to impact delivery and waste collection vehicles, as well as farm trucks. It means they will have to travel via Gore Street and Preston and Grove Road instead.

Canterbury South county councillor Mike Sole admits the work will cause inconvenience but is unavoidable.

“The current bridge is failing. It's not unsafe at the moment, but it will become unsafe if nothing is done about it,” the Lib Dem said.

“There is no way around it, it's got to happen. But we need to look at the times of year that it takes place, ensuring that it is completed as quickly as possible and making sure that any diversion routes that go in are practical enough so that they don't impact the surrounding villages.

“There have been many previous short-term closures for various reasons. But the initial reduction on the weight limit in this case will be quite significant for any larger vehicles that go over there regularly.

“I've already alerted the city council to the fact that they may need to reconsider the way their refuse trucks operate and where they go.

“If you're farming and you've got land on either side of the river, or you've got trucks that take your apples from one place to another such as the orchards in Wickhambreaux, it's going to be an issue that people will need to plan for.”

KCC has already consulted with various businesses in the area that will be directly affected.

Owner of Grove Ferry River Trips, Peter Dale, 67, said: “Our boat is moored right next to the bridge. If they build it in situ, obviously they would have to close part of the river.

“We imagine it's going to impact us when the works take place because they've got to make the area safe.

“We've got the option of going downstream towards Sandwich on our trips or we go under the bridge and go upstream towards Canterbury and through Stodmarsh Nature Reserve.

“But of course, during the period that they will be doing this work, we won't be able to go upstream so it could be a bit limited.”

Still open to the completion of the updated bridge, Mr Dale added: “The current bridge is quite low, so lots of boats can't always get under it during higher tides, including ours.

“It seems there may be an option to make it a little bit higher though, which would suit us.”

KCC does not yet have an estimated cost for the project.