VILLAGERS in Brinkworth are accusing rail chiefs of reneging on their promise to improve the “ghastly and hideous” appearance of a new £1.2 million railway bridge that they have likened to a recycled tin can.

Now their furious MP James Gray has once more taken up their case and told the Gazette & Herald: “Unless we do something about it, Network Rail are about to commit one of the greatest acts of rural vandalism imaginable.”

In December last year an attractive brick and stone railway bridge from the Brunel era was replaced with a modern structure over School Hill Road in Brinkworth as part of Network Rail’s ongoing electrification project.

But many people living in England’s longest village were appalled at the functional iron bridge which they considered “an absolute eyesore” that was totally out of character with its picturesque surroundings.

Following a campaign, which won the backing of North Wiltshire MP Mr Gray, Network Rail pledged to consider various alternatives to improve the aesthetic quality of the bottle green structure.

But after months of talks and meetings Brinkworth Parish Council has been left angry, exasperated and feeling totally let down after being told of Network Rail’s solution.

The company insisted that after investigating the matter there were only two alternatives – to keep the existing structure of steel panels, or to remove the panels to expose highway safety barriers and erect a mesh or suitably secure fence.

Chairman of the parish council’s specially formed bridge sub committee Martin Evans said the wire mesh option was just as bad as keeping the panels as it would look nothing like Brinkworth’s Victorian brick and stone bridge.

He said they had already “rejected outright” the wire mesh option as councillors felt it was nowhere near sympathetic to the original bridge and its surroundings.

Mr Evans said: “They seem to be ignoring all our substantial objection to the existing bridge and keen to come up with the cheapest option. We will still have a ghastly, appalling and hideous bridge.”

Mr Gray has offered his whole-hearted support and written to Network Rail demanding that it comes up with a scheme sympathetic to the village.

He said: “They (Network Rail) knocked down the lovely old stone bridge at Brinkworth. All we want is for them to replace the old bridge with something in keeping with this most lovely bit of countryside.

“That is exactly what we thought they were going to do, and allowed ourselves a little bit of a celebration as a result. It was to be a brick fronted approach, albeit a green metal main structure.”

Instead, the MP said, they were now being lumbered with “a monstrous metal carbuncle, poorly constructed in a way reminiscent of some of our greater failures at Meccano when we were young”.

Andrew Haynes of Network Rail said they had explored the parish council’s preference for ‘brick look-a-like’ fiberglass panels.

But after closely examining the option they considered it unacceptable “owing to the high level of expected maintenance that this system will generate.”

Of the two remaining options he said they proposed to remove the steel panels that had angered villagers so much in order to expose the highway safety barriers.

A mesh or other security fence would be added and backed up with “suitable planting,” he said.