An historic walk bridge which underwent a multi-million pound restoration is in need of fresh repairs – just one month after reopening.
The Victoria Bridge, in Bath, was one of the first taper suspension bridges to be built worldwide, and is one of only a handful remaining today.
It was reopened in January following a nine-month, £3.4 million refurbishment project designed to make the 180-year-old structure suitable for modern use.
However, within weeks the bridge is already showing signs of disrepair with the surface peeling up.
Bath and North East Somerset Council has now been forced to contact the contractors to repair the damage.
A statement said: “The council is aware of this problem and the contractor will be returning to the bridge on Monday to rectify the problem at no cost to the local taxpayer.”
The Grade II listed bridge, which crosses the River Avon, was built in 1836 to a design by James Dredge, who was a Bath resident, brewer and bridge builder.
More than 50 further taper bridges were built throughout Britain, Ireland, India and Jamaica, using the same principle with Victoria Bridge the eldest of a small number of the survivors.
It was temporarily shut in 2010 due to structural weaknesses and, in 2012, the council agreed funding to have the bridge restored.
Balfour Beatty began work in 2014, completely dismantling the bridge before reconstructing it.
The newly refurbished bridge was officially reopened on 15 January 2015 with English Heritage removing it from the Heritage at Risk Register.