§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps have been taken to conduct a general condition survey of all road bridges over and under both operational and disused railways in the north London area, following the failure and collapse of Crouch Hill bridge over the former railway alignment in north Islington; what Government funding is available to local authorities, Railtrack or any other authority responsible for maintenance and repair of bridges more than 30 years old; and what information he has as to why the bridge collapsed.
§ Mr. NorrisThe authorities responsible for the structures in question are required to ensure that they are maintained in a safe condition and to carry out regular inspections as appropriate.
The bridge at Crouch hill is owned by the local highway authority, the London borough of Islington. The partial collapse of the bridge occurred while strengthening work was under way. Investigation of the cause of the collapse is a matter for the borough and those involved with the strengthening operations.
Central Government funding is available to local highway authorities to assist their programmes of bridge assessment and strengthening. This can include funding of the assessment of structures owned by Railtrack.