THE PEDESTRIAN bridge at Petersfield railway station has been closed amid fears someone could have fallen through it on to the line.

Gavin Sandeman, of The Petersfield Society, has an interest in railway architecture, and noticed problems with the bridge in July last year.

He said: “The station is a listed building, and as such is a heritage station, and the metal bridge is clearly rusty and poorly maintained.

“It has wooden treads covered in tarred felt and the treads could be decaying, which would have been catastrophic if someone had fallen through.

“The poor condition of the bridge is obvious for all to see, and an accident could well have happened.

“When I noticed the problems I immediately notified Network Rail but nothing has been done until now – the lack of action could have had serious consequences.

“But that’s what happens in big organisations, even when something is dealt with it‘s a long time before anything happens.”

Mr Sandeman, of Woodbury Avenue, only learned of its sudden closure last Monday after he noticed barriers and tape shutting the bridge.

He said: “I went to the ticket office at the station and was told the bridge had been inspected by engineers and then immediately shut.

“It isn’t a real problem, pedestrians can walk across the level crossing, but the bridge is a good example of railway architecture.

“As well as the repair work, it also needs painting, hopefully it can be retained.”

It isn’t clear when the bridge was put up, but it is thought it was before the 1920s, maybe even when the station was built in 1859.

Network Rail spokesman Owen Johns said: "Following an inspection of the footbridge at Petersfield at the end of last week, we took the decision to temporarily close it so that upgrades can be made to the woodwork.

"We are currently planning the remedial work to the footbridge, and will know shortly when it will start, and how long it will take.

“We are already speaking with the local residents’ group and will keep the community updated with our programme of work."

Mr Johns added that before the August inspection, the bridge had last been inspected in October 2015.

Mr Sandeman has also asked Network Rail to replace original teak handrails on the footway under the lines at the station.

He said: “They have been replaced with fearful metal organ tubes.”