WORK to remove the disused Cross Common Bridge should start before the end of this year, the Vale of Glamorgan Council has promised.

The bridge has been closed for over two years following the construction of a new access road.

Now Plaid Cymru community councillors have called for assurances that the time table will not slip.

Councillor Chris Franks said: “It is very frustrating that the commitments made over the last two years that the bridge will be removed have not been kept.

“There have been all sorts of reasons why nothing has been done.

“Meanwhile the bridge and the temporary barriers look a mess.

“The community council had been told that the delay was due to a lack of specialist contractor. This now appears not to be the case.”

Fellow Plaid Councillor Richard Grigg said that there had apparently been discussions between the council and BT Openreach, a division of telecommunications company BT, about the diversion of their cables and ducts.

He said: “However it now looks as though an agreement is finally in sight.

“The ducts could well be in the area of the adjacent footpath.

“Another factor will be obtaining the approval from Natural Resources Wales.

“Hopefully the work will be out to tender in August.

“That way the work will be under way by the start of October.

“The Vale council has agreed to our request for the area to be tidied up.”

A Vale of Glamorgan council spokesperson said: “Demolition work on the old Cross Common Road Bridge is planned to commence before the end of this year and should take a total of around six weeks to complete.

“The bridge was closed in February 2017 and is no longer required after the council opened a new junction in the area to improve highway safety.

“The wooden props beneath the bridge structure were also removed immediately following its closure to help address flooding concerns in the area.”