For thousands of years people have used bridges made from split tree trunks to
cross the small streams and rivers that cross Dartmoor. Now the last
surviving “clam bridge” is to be closed to walkers because of 21st-century
compensation culture, although there is no record of serious injury to
anyone using it.
The 20ft-long oak timbers of the bridge in the village of Lustleigh in Devon
straddle the River Bovey at a point that has probably been used as a
crossing since the Bronze Age more than 2,500 years ago.
The bridge will be sealed off this week despite protests by villagers who say
that it is part of Dartmoor’s heritage. It is being closed because no one
will accept ownership for fear of being sued if anyone falls off. The bridge
would have been demolished but for a campaign by residents of Lustleigh and
nearby Manaton. More than 470 people signed a petition to save it.
Engineers from Devon County Council condemned the bridge because its simple
design and single handrail did not conform to modern British Standards. Last
year they installed a steel bridge, which cost £35,000 and had to be lowered
into place by helicopter. The county council then said that it would no
longer accept responsibility for repairs to the old bridge, whose timbers
need to be replaced every 20 years or so.
Dartmoor National Park Authority agreed to help the two local parish councils
to pay for repairs but only if the bridge was closed. It also refused to
accept any liability for its use.
Nick Hewison, a member of Lustleigh Parish Council who has campaigned to save
the bridge, said: “We have achieved our first objective by preventing the
clam bridge being demolished.
The National Park are now offering to help to repair it but the issue is what
happens afterwards. It’s the last bridge of its kind on the moor and it is
likely that something very similar has crossed the river for hundreds of
years, maybe thousands.
“We didn’t think there was a need for the new bridge but the county council
say they have to comply with safety standards. They have changed
fundamentally an idyllic corner of Dartmoor. Dartmoor National Park has a
duty to preserve the beauty, culture and heritage of the moor but they have
been more concerned with risk and that threatened to override their
responsibilities.
“This is a footbridge in a remote part of Dartmoor only accessed by a very
rocky path which is probably more risky than crossing the bridge. The
subtlety of its history seemed to escape the officials, who felt that since
it was replaced every 20 years it could not be all that old. That is like
saying a thatched house is only as old as when its roof was last replaced.
“The bridge is mentioned in the oldest guides to Dartmoor and within 500 yards
of it on either side are Bronze Age stone circles.”
A report to the national park authority said that there had been cases of
people and dogs falling off the old bridge, which became submerged and
impassable at high water levels. It added: “The new bridge provides a safe,
accessible route across the river which is appropriate to modern needs.”
You can’t do that . . .
— Sainsbury’s sold Christmas puddings with sixpence coins attached separately
because health and safety officials deemed them a choking hazard
— The headmaster of Cummersdale Primary School, in Carlisle, bought six
pairs of industrial safety googles for pupils to wear when they played
conkers in the playground
— Councillors removed a swing under an oak tree in the Hampshire village
of Sheet, even though generations of children had played safely on it since
1897
— Wigston Civic Society members in Leicestershire had to fill out a
two-page risk assessment before going rambling. Possible dangers included
ploughed fields and rabbit holes
— South Tyneside District Council felled six horse chestnut trees after
a young boy was injured falling out of one while trying to grab a conker
— A TUC manual advised managers not to put up mistletoe at a Christmas
party in case it encouraged sexual harassment
— Mike Read, a long-distance swimming champion who crossed the Channel
more than 30 times, was banned from using his local council pool in Ipswich
when it was not supervised
Why is it that Health and Safety always gets the blame.
I work as a Health and Safety manager and it never ceases to amaze me thet we are always to blame and are classed as spoilsports and part poopers.
Have a look here to see some of the actual myths that H&S are blamed for.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/myth/index.htm
Paul Steele, London,
I am prepared to x the clam bridge 1,000x's in a day to show how safe the crossing is. If there is anyone else out there prepared to form a pair then I predict we complete the task in about 8 hours and raise awareness of how safe the the crossing is
R Hill
Blorenge Terrace
Llanfoist
Abergavenny
Richard Hill, hereford, uk
it is perfectly possible to build a bridge that both fits the local environment and satisfies modern safety standards. I have built them from oaks in the Peak National Park. There is a video of me building such a bridge in Edale from felling the tree to finished bridge on youtube.
robin , edale, uk
The Peak National Park have managed to commission bridges that both meet modern safety standards, blend with the natural surroundings and local vernacular. I have built some for them out of locally felled oak.
robin , edale, uk
Do you ever get the impression that if a conflict on the scale of World War 2 started tomorrow this country would last about two minutes?
Alex, York,
My wife has a chronic disability and cannot move without assistance, was admitted for an minor emergency procedure at the local NHS trust hospital. She cannot lie on anything but an air mattress. The Trust do not provide air mattresses as a. Our 'travelling' air mattress,used for 10years was refused
Stephen Ransome, newcastle upon tyne, UK
Makes you proud to be British doesn't it?
C J Allen, Bugibba, Malta
I think it's the fault of the local authoritities not being willing to stand up for common sense in the 21st century when being asking to perform risk assessments by their insurance companies.
Khaled, London,
It's only going to get worse, implementation of the Lisbon Treaty will see to that.
Good old British self-reliance and common sense is now high on the endangered list.
Stan(expat), USA, USA
This is the result of people no longer being prepared to take responsibility for the own actions and who start looking for somebody else to blame - and hopefully sue - when an accident happens, or in the case of the clam bridge, doesn't happen.
Patricia Thornton, Veliko Tarnovo,
Pathetic isn't it?
Albert Hall, gloucester,