Yarmouth homeowners lose their privacy due to Herring Bridge

People living on Southtown Road have dealt with ongoing noise and traffic disruption for the past three years for the construction of the Herring Bridge.

And now some claim that their privacy has been impinged on, with people saying motorists can now peer into their gardens.

The crossing officially opened on Thursday but suffered several unplanned closures on Saturday and Sunday due to a technical fault causing a delay to the bridge's raising mechanism.

The control tower's public address system caught an operator swearing over the issue on Saturday afternoon.

The Herring Bridge control tower. Picture - Sonya Duncan (Image: Sonya Duncan)Norfolk County Council has confirmed the bridge is back in working order once again following repairs over the weekend and on Monday.

The council also apologised for any offence caused during the foul-mouthed affair.

For nearby residents, however, the bridge continues to be a source of noise pollution - whether expletive or road surface - and concerns have been also raised regarding their privacy.

Homeowner Mrs Khan, who described her family as "very private", has lived in the area for decades.

"We have have lost our privacy as people can see inside our house from Southtown Road and from the top of the bridge," she said.

"I can't even hang my washing outside anymore."

READ MORE: Great Yarmouth Haven Bridge chaos as people try to barge across it

The carriageways on the Herring Bridge. Picture - Sonya Duncan (Image: Sonya Duncan)Mrs Khan described the noise as "double what it was before" now the bridge has opened.

"And this is just the early season," she said. 

"Come summer, there will more traffic, more pedestrians."

Neighbour Bridget Heriz, said she also felt she had lost some of her privacy.

Bridget Heriz said she felt she had lost privacy since the bridge opened last week. Picture - James Weeds (Image: James Weeds)"People can look straight down onto my back garden, whereas before they couldn't," she said.

"I'll be glad when the work is finished opposite me. It's nice they are planting more trees, and it is better now the hoardings are down - I can see the river again.

"It's been a long old journey and it's not over yet."

Tony Weymouth said he was glad to see the bridge open. Picture - James Weeds (Image: James Weeds)Further along Southtown Road, Tony Weymouth said the bridge has "upgraded the area".

"I'm glad it's open," he said. "It will be nice to see the bit in front of the river done. I just hope it's as nice as the picture."

Landscaping plans for Bollard Quay. Work is expected to be complete by summer. Picture - Norfolk County Council (Image: Norfolk County Council)Mr Weymouth said he was surprised more people were not using the bridge currently.

For Iron Warehouse manager Eimantas Sarpalis, the powerlifting gym has seen more of its members returning since the bridge opening.

Eimantas Sarpalis outside the Iron Warehouse gym. Picture - James Weeds (Image: James Weeds)"The last few days have been super busy," he said.

"We were blocked but are now exposed to more people, so I hope we will see more people coming to us, especially people on the Yarmouth side of the river.

"It's too early to say, but we are really hopeful the bridge will be a big positive."

The Herring Bridge as seen from Fish Wharf. Picture - Sonya Duncan (Image: Sonya Duncan)The bridge was temporarily closed on Saturday and Sunday as investigations were carried out by engineers from the local area and supported by specialists from further afield, including one from Yorkshire.

A spokesperson for Norfolk County Council said: "Following the work carried out over the weekend and on Monday, Herring Bridge is now operating as usual, with bridge lifts taking the expected amount of time.

"We would like to thank people for their patience while this work was completed."

The Haven Bridge has also experienced technical issues recently. Picture - Sonya Duncan (Image: Sonya Duncan)The town has seen several issues with two of its three main bridges over the past few days. On Friday, the Haven Bridge was temporarily closed due to a fault.

While operators from Peel Ports worked on the issue, several people were reported to have jumped the barriers to cross and one intoxicated person was seen directing traffic.

This comes as port director Richard Goffin said workers at Haven Bridge had suffered threats from people over the past year.