Suffolk is the fifth worst county in Britain for 'substandard' bridges, new research reveals.

RAC Foundation Data shows that 119 bridges in Suffolk were found to be "substandard" at the end of last year, which means they are too weak to be used by 44-tonne lorries.

Coming in at the fifth-worst local authority for substandard bridges in Britain, Suffolk was beaten only by Devon (224), Cheshire East (194), Essex (151) and Somerset (128).

In total, 3,090 bridges were identified as being substandard, with many being subject to weight restrictions and others under programmes of increased monitoring or even managed decline.

A Suffolk County Council spokesman said that of the 119 bridges reported as substandard in the survey, 21 already have a Structural Weight Restriction or Prohibition of Driving Order in place to protect them.

Of the remaining 98 structures, they said two are in the process of having a weight restriction implemented.

The spokesman added: "The others are all being managed as low-risk sub-standard structures, being subject to an increased inspection frequency and/or ongoing additional investigation/analysis."

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They also pointed out that the RAC survey interpreted the term "substandard" to include structures where the assessment had not been fully concluded, meaning they were only provisionally substandard.

According to the council, about 80% of the structures reported in Suffolk fall into the following categories: provisionally substandard, those where condition is of concern and those that are only deficient under accidental vehicle loading on the verges or footways.

Coddenham Road bridge in Needham Market was named the most bashed railway bridge in Britain in 2021.

It lost its crown in 2022, but still ranked tenth as data from Network Rail revealed it had been hit a total of ten times by road vehicles.