AN IMPASSIONED plea has been made to restore a Peeblesshire bridge in a “very bad way”.

Friends of the Pentlands (FoP) members attended this month’s meeting of West Linton Community Council (WLCC).

And they appealed for a campaign and work to the structure known as the ‘Roman bridge’.

Andrew Marsden, of FoP, told the meeting that the crossing on the old Roman Road, which is on a Scottish Borders Council (SBC) ‘core path’, is in a serious state of disrepair.

FoP member Richard Maguire said: “You can see that the bridge is in a very bad way.

“I looked at it with a friend who is a retired civil engineer and we wondered about volunteers repairing it, but it would need skilled work and there would be the matter of health and safety.

“My friend estimated that there would be at least 500 man hours in restoring the bridge, but his experience is with much larger projects.”

WLCC chairman Mark McDavid commended the group for raising the state of the bridge due to its historical importance.

Commonly known as the Roman bridge, the stone crossing of the Medwin Water, at Garvald, on the southern edge of the Pentland Hills, was erected in 1620.

WLCC member Ann Cumber commented: “This is a structural engineering project.”

The bridge is neither listed nor a scheduled monument with Historic Environment Scotland.

WLCC member Tim Brian said: “Because it is a core path SBC would have to be involved in any restoration plan.”

Most of the paths and tracks that cross the Borders are open for everyone to access under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.

Core paths are routes, including waterways, which help the public to exercise their access rights under the Act, according to the council.

Tweeddale West councillor Viv Thomson said she would talk to the council about listing and stated: “SBC has some responsibility as it is on a core path.”

Mr Marsden also said: “The FoP could provide some funds and perhaps get involved in Heritage Lottery fund-raising.

“The most important thing is to get the bridge’s condition out in the public domain.”

SBC was approached for comment.