We need answers after bridge damage

MORE than a day after a bridge was hit on the A12 at Brightwell, the main road to the east of Ipswich remained closed today as the clear-up and repairs got under way.

This closure has caused major problems for motorists and has forced thousands of motorists on to minor roads through Bucklesham and Brightwell.

Once the road is cleared there needs to be a full inquiry into what happened - and why a lorry carrying such a large piece of equipment was routed under such a low bridge.

We need to know if the waste compactor was properly loaded - or did the arm become loose without the driver's knowledge as it was driven along?

This vehicle had just left the Viridor waste site at Foxhall. That has been there for many years and compactors are a familiar site to all those who use it.

They have been taken in and out of the site before. Why was there an accident this time?

And we also need to know if the police are involved in the investigation into this incident.

We believe they should be - and the Health and Safety Executive also has to investigate the accident which will cost thousands of pounds to repair and will have cost millions of pounds in lost time for all those motorists who have been inconvenienced.

Some accidents, particularly if they happen during bad weather, seem almost inevitable.

Some are clearly avoidable - and after such a bizarre accident causing major problems for everyone, the public deserves to know exactly why it happened and what will be done to prevent it happening again.

NEWS that a swan has been shot at one of Suffolk's most popular beauty spots will come as a nasty shock to bird-lovers across the area who love visiting lakes to feed the waterfowl.

Swans are Britain's most majestic birds - and have a special place in the nation's affection. Technically they all remain the property of the sovereign.

What is more they famously mate for life - and it is quite possible that the partner of this unfortunate bird will spend the rest of its life pining.

Whoever is responsible for this barbaric act deserves to be traced, prosecuted, and punished severely. It is not fun to maim a defenceless bird so badly that it has to be destroyed. It is sick.

MANY Ipswich Town fans left Vicarage Road on Saturday feeling very deflated. Despite a battling performance by an under-strength team, the defeat left many thinking that the season was over.

However there are two very important matches for the Blues over the next five days - and the sad fact is that if both were to be lost then the club could find itself sucked into a new battle . . . against relegation.

Both Wolves, who visit Portman Road tonight, and Southampton - which we visit on Saturday - are strong Championship sides.

On their day Ipswich have proved they can be one of the best teams in the division - ask Sunderland, Birmingham and Norwich.

We now have to hope for more performances like that, so the club can consolidate its position in the division and prepare for a realistic challenge next season.