Fault-plagued Millennium Bridge over Forton Lake in Gosport needs engineering work again

The Millennium Bridge across Forton Lake in Gosport has been the subject of disappointment for many boaters after years of inaction - due to a faulty mechanism that lifts a portion of the bridge.

Robert Bowler’s Pioneer 9 sailing boat named Matai is moored in Maritime Workshops, a boatyard in Forton Lake.

He said: ‘I spoke to a surveyor who said they came down three weeks ago and it only lifted about 3in.

‘I have a boat in there that’s not being used and it’s costing £170 a month now - I’m trapped.

‘I booked it into another boatyard to be moved, had to cancel that, I’ve paid for mooring out on the harbour - it’s massively inconvenient.

‘I’m probably paying over £200 a month I should think.’

The bridge has had a series of breakdowns relating to a pair of motors that power the lifting mechanism - the council has been carrying out repairs since 2019.

The 3KW motors are used to raise the 28-tonne bridge deck using a 23-tonne counterweight - it is designed to rise in five minutes.

A council spokesperson said: ‘Part of the bridge mechanism has developed a fault which means it's opening very slowly.

‘We've arranged a visit by a specialist engineer to fix the problem before the next requested opening on September 9.

‘If the problem isn't fixed by then, the bridge will still open at around 11.30am on the 9th, but it will take longer than usual.

‘We'll be asking people using the bridge to please bear with us.’