A farmer has raised concerns about the temporary weight limit on Kirkcudbright Bridge.
The 17-tonne restriction has been reduced to just 7.5 tonnes ahead of a structural assessment being completed in March.
The bridge beside the town’s former creamery site links the centre of Kirkcudbright to houses and farms on the Merse side.
James Dunlop, who lives at The Stell, said: “It was 17 tonnes for a long time and we could get across the bridge with a tractor and a trailer empty, but not a tractor and full trailer or a full slurry tanker.
“Now they’ve cut it down to 7.5, which means we can get across with a tractor by itself but not with any implement on it.
“We’re not the only people in this predicament, I can think or three or four farming operations with land on both sides of the river.
“Because of this restriction, we’re starting to use Cumstoun Bridge further up. It’s an extra five miles each way.
“The best route we’ve got is to go up onto the Beeches and onto the A75 at the Cocoabean then turn in past Chapel Farm. It’s a five mile detour but the road is wider all the way.
“It’s not just farming. I’ve got grandchildren at Gatehouse coming to Kirkcudbright Academy and even the school bus can’t get across the bridge.
“We’re at The Stell and see a lot of campervans coming past us, so it’s the tourist industry too. It’s not going to do any favours for the town of Kirkcudbright.
“What we’ve found this last fortnight coming in with tractors and trailers down Tongland Road is if there are cars parked on both sides of the street it’s a slow process. You’ve got to give way to the oncoming traffic.
“It’s going to be a costly addition to our expenditure.”
Attempts to repair the bridge have been going on for many years.
In October 2019, temporary traffic lights were installed after issues with a system designed to limit the number of heavy lorries using the crossing.
Work to repair the system was due began a few months later – but wasn’t completed until autumn 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. During that time faults were reported with the temporary lights themselves.
And the repair work to the detection system was almost canned after the £20,000 repair costs doubled – members of the communities committee only agreeing to push on with the work by a single vote.
In April 2021, it emerged £200,000 needed to be spent on an inspection of the bridge, prompting fears the Merse side of the bridge could be cut off from the town centre while the work was carried out.
And two years later, a civil engineer in the town believed there were “serious issues” with the crossing, claiming the situation was being made worse as drivers of heavy vehicles were ignoring the 17 tonne weight limit.
Following inspections and assessments, the limit has now been reduced to 7.5 tonnes.
However, Mr Dunlop said: “It’s not just farming, I’ve seen lorries going across the bridge disregarding the weight limit.
“A lot of the farming equipment has got bigger and heavier, as have all the lorries. Until the creamery closed, the bridge was used regularly by milk tankers.
“It’s all industry.”
A council spokeswoman said: “Unfortunately, many vehicles were found to be significantly in excess of the 17 tonne weight limit. As a result, the council has introduced the 7.5 tonne weight restriction which was recommended in the last assessment. This is to protect the structural integrity of the bridge and thereby safeguard members of the travelling public.
“A traffic counter is being installed to gather data on the classifications of vehicles that are now crossing the bridge. This will confirm whether the new 7.5 tonne restriction has affected the behaviour of heavy vehicle drivers who were abusing the former 17 tonne restriction.”