Lincolnshire County Council ordered to pay compensation after horse fell through bridleway bridge over River Welland on one of Stamford’s meadows

A rider has successfully sued a council after a rotting bridleway bridge collapsed beneath her and a horse.

Lincolnshire County Council has been ordered to pay £1,228 to Debbie Bull after her thoroughbred Rory was injured when the decking of the broadeng bridge in Stamford collapsed beneath them two years ago.

The 59-year-old was taken to hospital after being left badly bruised by the fall while her horse suffered bloody wounds to his leg and mouth.

Speaking after the incident, Debbie, who has ridden since she was eight, said: “I was shocked.

“It could have been so much worse. He could have gone through the bridge into the water with me underneath him.”

The council had previously denied responsibility and argued the incident was “caused wholly or partly by [Debbie’s] own negligence” for not checking if the bridge was safe.

They added that the bridge had been inspected two-and-a-half years before the incident, at which time the only fault found was minor rot and no complaints were made about the deterioration of the bridge.

Unhappy with the response and confused how she was supposed to check if a half-a-tonne horse is safe going over a bridge, Debbie took the council to small claims court. After a number of cancellations, her case was finally heard on Wednesday last week (April 30).

She said: “They had a barrister and I was just on my own but I got my vet bills back and they have to cover the court costs, so I wasn’t out of pocket.

“The judge said the bridge should have been checked.

“I’m pleased it’s done as I was very nervous in the build up.”

The council will pay £551 in court costs and £667.10 for vet fees for Rory, who needed stitches, painkillers and antibiotics.

Debbie did not process the paperwork properly to claim personal injury but plans to resubmit an application for this.

Following the incident broadeng bridge was immediately closed and remained shut for nine months before work took place. Flooding was blamed for the delay to the £22,000 repairs.

The decking was replaced with fibreglass reinforced plastic, which looks very similar to the wood but has a 40-year lifespan and doesn't rot.

Following the incident Debbie has called for a review of bridleway bridges to ensure they are safe.

Chris Miller, head of environment at Lincolnshire County Council, said: "We sympathise with Mrs Bull for the injuries to herself and her horse and are sorry that they were sustained whilst using this bridge.

“There are more than 190 bridle bridges across the county and whilst we have a robust inspection regime regrettably these issues cannot always be foreseen and deterioration of timber structures between inspections is always a possibility."

Rory is a nervous horse who Debbie had been training for seven years before the incident, but, to her relief, he did not let the fall stop his progress.

“He’s still scarred and is having to have physiotherapy as his back legs are a bit stiffer but he still goes across bridges,” she said.