DRIVERS using a 109-year-old bridge in the New Forest will have to cut their speed from today.

The condition of the bridge, which carries the busy A35 Southampton to Bournemouth road over a former railway line, has deteriorated over the winter.

Now Hampshire County Council has cut the speed limit from 60mph to 40mph as an alternative to closing the structure.

A spokesman said: “The council will be putting in a lower speed limit on Holmsley Bridge from today to keep the bridge safe and open to all traffic.

“This follows routine monitoring of the bridge which has shown that the condition of the 100-year-old bridge has deteriorated further over the winter.

“As a precautionary measure the speed limit over the bridge will be reduced and barriers installed on the verges to keep vehicles on the main carriageway.”

Last year it was revealed that the steel bridge was corroding and would have to be replaced.

Speaking at the time Cllr Seán Woodward, who was the county council’s executive member for economy, transport and environment, said: “We’ve been monitoring the bridge since it became the county council’s responsibility in 2012.

“The bridge is deteriorating and will need to be replaced if it’s to remain open to traffic.

“We’ve been saving up for this work and the time has come to begin to consider potential options around replacing the bridge in order to maintain this key route. This is certainly going to be a challenge and we need to look carefully at the options.”