A CIVIC leader is calling on Dorset County Council to make a new footbridge across the River Stour at Throop “a priority” after being told it may not be constructed until 2014.

Ward councillor Ron Whittaker said: “This bridge is vital in retaining easy pedestrian routes along the Stour Valley, so it must be a priority for replacement.”

He described the decision to defer the project to 2013 or 2014 as “a blow,” adding that the existing bridge was deteriorating and needs regular maintenance.

In an email to Cllr Whittaker, the county council’s chief engineer, bridge management, John Burridge said: “The decision to remove the construction of the replacement Throop crossing from the 2012/13 programme was made by myself in consultation with the design team leader and the construction team leader.”

He added: “The project has been deferred; it is not removed from the programme.

“Although the construction will not take place in 2012/13 you can be assured that we will still be working on the project to enable reconstruction in subsequent years.

“Hopefully that will be in 2013/2014 as the current structural condition is deteriorating and annual maintenance costs are rising.

“This project is not alone in having the construction date deferred.”