The council as confirmed why safety railings were installed on the Itchen Bridge last week before being taken down.

It comes after Southampton City Council announced earlier this year that planned closures would be postponed to allow for phased works to take place, including resurfacing and the installation of new safety fencing.

Cllr Eamonn Keogh, cabinet member for environment and transport, said the the railings were put in as a trial installation before work gets underway next year.

He said: “As part of the preparation for undertaking the Itchen Bridge Maintenance Project next year, we conducted a trial installation of a panel of safety fencing last week to get a clear understanding of how it would work, and its impacts as a full installation along the main span and on both sides of the bridge.

“The trial panel was installed overnight on Thursday and its impacts assessed throughout the day before it was removed overnight on Friday.”

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A  date for when the works will take place has yet to be confirmed by the council.

The first phase of the works will see safety fencing installed on the Itchen Bridge before a second phase of works will see the main road resurfaced – that sees motorists travel in and out of the city centre via Woolston – as well as the drainage system being replaced.

Scheduled works to the Itchen Bridge – which opened in 1977 – come after campaigners have long called for it to have improved safety measures.

Speaking to the Echo this year, Andy Bishop, the founder of men’s mental health charity Mangang, said: “In 2022, the council said they would spend the bulk of £3.8m worth of funding on suicide prevention measures.

“Suicide prevention does not start by throwing a wall or fence up, it starts with collaboration.

“That means the council and community coming together to understand why people resort to suicide.”

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