A WORCESTERSHIRE MP has made an urgent call for highways bosses to draw up 'a plan of action' following the terrifying collapse of a bridge.

Children on two school buses from Lindridge St Lawrence School were seconds were disaster, saved by the actions of the drivers who reversed off Eastham Bridge as it collapsed in front of them last week.

Pictured here are some of the children who were on the buses when the bridge collapsed.

Lorries laden with stone were using the bridge in the hours and days before its sudden and dramatic collapse as a Worcestershire MP continues to search for answers while calls have been made from villagers for a public meeting.

The Worcester News understands the lorry drivers were doing nothing wrong because the bridge, built in 1793, had no weight restriction.

John Fraser, highways manager for Worcestershire County Council, has confirmed that lorries belonging to a contractor had been using the bridge but there was nothing to suggest they had broken any law.

Buses taking children from Lindridge School to Eastham were operating at the time the Grade II listed bridge fell into the River Teme.

A spokesman for Worcestershire County Council said there would be an update on the bridge by the end of Monday.

West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has today (Thursday) repeated her support for local people affected after the bridge collapsed.

Mrs Baldwin has met with the community and has been in talks with local army representatives to identify solutions which will help to keep traffic flowing around the area.

The MP has also been working with local district and county councillors and she said she understood a further update was due from Worcestershire County Council tomorrow (Friday).

Mrs Baldwin said: “I have been in regular touch with the local community and have been feeding back information both to villagers and the local councillors to make sure as many people as possible are kept properly informed.

“It is now time for the county council to take some decisions and present a plan of action for how we are going to mitigate the impact of this incident.

“A number of options are now on the table and I look forward to getting an idea of the county’s plan in the next 24 hours. After that we will work with the community on both the short and long-term solutions and carry out a wider consultation to get as many views as possible.”

Mini buses, one with 11 children on board, were approaching the bridge at the time it collapsed but by pure good fortune no one was on the bridge when it gave way.

A specialist team of divers has been brought in to try to help to discover why the bridge collapsed.

Residents are demanding action and answers whilst Worcestershire County Council say that the bridge is inspected in line with requirements and was last looked at in December.

Worcestershire County Council say that the cause is still being investigated alongside the possibility of installing a temporary bridge.

Tenbury MP Harriett Baldwin has been in talks with the Army to see if a temporary bridge can be put in place after discovering from locals that there was a Bailey Bridge in the Second-World-War.

She says that a full investigation must reveal the cause and that she had discussed the collapse at Ministerial level.