Thieves sink plans to capture replacement of 120-year-old footbridge on camera
Last updated 9 hours ago
Thieves have sunk plans to record a time-lapse of work to replace a 120-year-old bridge in Galashiels - after stealing the camera.
The specialist equipment was installed as work got underway on the ÂŁ850,000 project at Glenfield in May.
The narrow footbridge, which connects Glenfield Road East and Huddersfield Street on opposite sides of the Gala Water, is being replaced by a new wider structure, after the Victorian-era footbridge was deemed too costly to repair.
“We have been attempting to capture a time-lapse visual of the replacement of the Glenfield Bridge but I have to report that the time-lapse camera was stolen,” Jason Hedley, Scottish Borders Council’s chief roads officer, told a meeting of the local authority’s External Services/Providers Monitoring Group.
“It is a specialist piece of equipment that can’t be used for anything else, so if anybody finds a time-lapse camera lying beside the Black Path in Galashiels, or indeed anywhere else, we would welcome it back.
“It is going to hinder our opportunity to present a really strong visual of the replacement at Glenfield.”
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The council secured funding from the Community Regeneration Partnership to deliver the replacement.
It revealed the project is technically complex, due to the neighbouring rail line, flood risk and environmental sensitivity of the Gala Water - all of which, it says, were taken into account during its design.
The Gala Water is designated as a Special Area of Conservation, meaning ecology specialists are involved to minimise environmental impacts and prevent pollution or construction materials entering the river.
A major milestone is scheduled for October, when a crane will lift the new bridge into position.
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