GENEROUS village residents have offered to donate £100,000 to save their historic bridge.

Finchingfield has been battling with Essex County Council over plans to replace its bridge, which forms part of the B1053, the only route through Finchingfield, since August.

After initially proposing to rebuild it while introducing a 40-minute diversion and depriving Finchingfield of passing trade, an online petition attracted nearly 3,000 signatures.

In February, County Hall revised its plan and now proposes to keep the bridge open during repairs, and build a new one alongside the old one which will be used as a foot and cycle path.

The plans would see 21 per cent of the village pond lost and HGVs would still be rerouted during the works.

Around 100 residents attended a meeting on Tuesday, along with par - ish councillors, district councillors and four representatives from Essex County Council Highways Department for the annual Finchingfield Parish Assembly in the Village Hall.

Chair of Finchingfield Parish Council, Graham Tobbell, and his wife Susan are so desperate to see the original bridge saved they have offered to donate £100,000 towards the cost of a temporary bridge, while others called for a permanent weight restriction.

Barry Gilbey from Finchingfield Bridge Preservation Society said: “The questions that were being asked last night were the same as the ones being asked seven or eight weeks ago.

“We left the meeting with one voice; we want the main bridge, our bridge, back. Trying to get figures out of them was like pulling teeth.

“Over the course of years we will lose millions of pounds in trade with the new bridge.

“We have been told that the team will get back to us.”

At the meeting Mike Thompson, of ECC Highways Department, said out- line quotes had been given for a tem- porary bridge and these ranged from £240,000 to £380,000.

He also said the cost of the preferred design would be around £650,000, compared to £850,000 with a temporary bridge, although these were indicative costs, and the bridge would be expected to last for 120 years.

Planning permission will be re- quired for the bridge and while ECC were hoping for a September start date it could be as far away as January.

See the plans at essexhighways.org.