BOLTON South East MP Brian Iddon is calling on highways chiefs to think again after they opted to raise the height of railings at a busy road bridge by just 15 centimetres.

Bradford Street bridge was the scene of a tragedy 16 months ago when 29-year-old Philip Warburton tumbled over the pedestrian railings onto St Peter's Way below and was killed.

Both the coroner and Dr Iddon wrote to Bolton Council urging them to raise the height of the one-metre high railings to prevent future accidents.

work has already begun on refurbishing the bridge but Dr Iddon is unhappy that engineers plan to increase the height of the railings by just 15 centimetres.

He said: "I am disappointed that they are sticking rigidly to the DETR guidelines when they have a real opportunity to make the bridge safer for pedestrians.

"For a few extra quid they could raise the railings to stop people falling. I implore them to do so."

Dr Iddon says he would like to see the fencing raised to around 1.5 metres or chest height.

"It needs to be well above waist high so the centre of gravity doesn't tip them over," he said.

Difference

But Adrian Golland, Bolton's assistant director of engineering, stressed that the planned extra 15cm will "make a substantial difference" in preventing people accidentally falling over onto St Peter's Way.

He added that Dr Iddon's suggestion of a 1.5 metre railing would "look awful".

"You would feel penned in as you walked along the bridge," he said.

"I don't think anywhere else in the country is chest height normal for railings."

Mr Golland now plans to invite Dr Iddon to a meeting to show him how high the railings will be and work on making the bridge improvements will be completed within the next few months.

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