THREE years after £500,000 was spent repairing Marlow Bridge, fears have been raised it could be in trouble again.

The Grade I listed suspension bridge has been repaired twice since Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC) spent the £500,000 on reinforcing the wooden structures and iron bearings.

Already members of the Marlow Society have noticed damage to the woodwork and flaking paint.

Bob Savidge, of the society, said: "We called Bucks County Council out during the winter because the bridge is in a terrible state. The whole thing is a disaster zone and I had people coming up to me in the street and commenting.

"The council has commissioned an independent survey now and is supposed to be negotiating with the original contractors.

"We are worried they will get into a long dispute about who should pay to repair it and in the meantime nothing is done and it is left to get worse and worse.

"I can't see how this has happened. Before work sta rted on the bridge there was a public meeting in Court Garden when Bucks County Council told us the repairs would last for 15 years."

Si Khan, BCC's transport area coordinator said: "Concerns were raised by the Marlow Society and we are currently investigating. There is no danger or nothing of that nature. It's a long-term maintenance issue.

"The £500,000 we spent three years ago was to reinforce the structure to make it more secure.

"We still stand by what we said at the public meeting in Court Gardens, however we can't ignore any complaints which is why we are investigating, but we are not saying there is definitely a problem either."

The society is also worried that regular use by lorries exceeding the weight limit could cause further damage.

Police confirmed they caught vehicles exceeding the three tonne weight restriction during a random spot check last week, but could not confirm how many vehicles they turned away.

Mr Savidge said: "Our members have seen 40 tonne trucks crossing the bridge and driving on the other side of the road to avoid the narrow width barriers on the left.

"They are led this way by their GPS and they only see the weight restrictions signs by the time they have left the roundabout and it is too late for them to turn around easily.

"If it continues we could see both the bridge and a truck sitting in the river one day. There are suggestions to close it, but that would cut Bisham off completely as a part of Marlow."

The society was formed in 1958 as the Marlow Bridge Preservation Society to prevent the historic suspension bridge being replaced by a fixed concrete and iron crossing.

It is still against replacing the structure today.

Mr Savidge said: "Hundreds of people come to Marlow just to see the bridge and walk over it. We can't afford to lose it."