THERE’S no denying that Poole’s Twin Sails bridge is quite something to look at.

Its opening in March attracted the kind of community interest and pride that isn’t often seen these days.

But the trouble with creating a highly visible landmark is that any problems it suffers will also have a high profile.

Yesterday, the bridge was out of action for two and a half hours in the middle of the day. That frustrating episode followed another closure of an hour and 45 minutes on Sunday.

The bridge works most of the time. It is certainly not Poole’s equivalent of Boscombe’s surf reef.

Yet it’s been nearly seven months since that grand opening and surely we’re past the point where such glitches can still be called teething troubles.

Fortunately, the repairs are not costing the taxpayer money, because they are still the responsibility of contractors. But these troubles are starting to cost the town in credibility.