RUSTY, rundown and certainly not fit for the Queen.The Ferodo bridge on Norwich Road has been a gateway into the town for more than 100 years.But it has been forgotten and left to fall into a desperate state of disrepair and councillors are calling for action before it is too late.

RUSTY, rundown and certainly not fit for the Queen.

The Ferodo bridge on Norwich Road has been a gateway into the town for more than 100 years.

But it has been forgotten and left to fall into a desperate state of disrepair and councillors are calling for action before it is too late.

The famous sign is worn and old and the fence around the area is broken and bent, overgrown hedgerows and litter flooding the area a familiar site.

But now there are signs that the calls for action are being taken seriously as work has begun on trimming the hedges and cleaning up the area.

It is less than a week until the Queen visits the town and she will see the bridge as she makes her way out of the town and on to Stowmarket.

"If the queen comes through and sees this it is a terrible advert for the town and what does that say to the queen about Ipswich?" said councillor Graham Manuel, one of the people desperate to see something happen to the bridge.

"This is not only a well known landmark but also a main gateway for thousands of people in to the town every day. While Ipswich Borough Council have spent lots of money cleaning up other areas in the town we have this wonderful relic from the industrial revolution. We could put lighting up and open up the pathways to make it a nicer place for people to use for a start.

"We would like to have a constructive meeting with Rail Track so that we can start making some progress on the bridge.

"It could be made so much more attractive and for a small amount of money we could do something very creative with it. It is the bridge that time forgot," he added.

Councillor Mary Blake agreed and said the area had been neglected for too long.

"People forgot about this but then we realised that bringing this to someone's attention we can do something about it," she said.

"Even a coat of paint could help," she added.