Reinstating a footbridge will be cost taxpayers lots of money, according to Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS).

NRS is the operating company responsible for decommissioning work at Trawsfynydd where a footbridge residents say is vital to the community remains closed.

Pupils at Ysgol Bro Hedd Wynn have been pictured with a banner appealing for the bridge to reopen, and MP Liz Saville Roberts has written to nuclear agencies asking for a resolution for residents who fear for their safety if the bridge situation is not sorted soon.

A spokesperson on behalf of NRS said: “Trawsfynydd footbridge was subject to annual maintenance inspections and repairs right up August 2022 when it closed due to concerns over public safety, our number one priority. The bridge was determined to be no longer structurally safe or viable for restoration due to the scale of deterioration found.

“Since its closure, NRS and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority have been working with the local community to try and seek a solution that takes into account the best use of taxpayer’s money.”

NRS say the footbridge was constructed nearly a century ago to facilitate landowners and farmers affected by the construction of the lake, which supplies water to Maentwrog hydro-electric power station and has since become a feature used by the local community.

They say they understand the local community’s desire to reinstate the bridge, however this would come at a significant investment of taxpayer’s money. A feasibility study for the development of a new bridge concluded an estimated cost of £3m, and this excludes the cost of demolition of the current bridge as well as the future maintenance costs.

No decision has been made on the future of the bridge and NRS say they are still considering options with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

MP Saville Roberts has requested a meeting with nuclear decommissioning organisations to discuss the future of the popular footbridge which serves as an important community link in Trawsfynydd.

Mrs Saville Roberts said the closure of the footbridge was having a significant impact on the community, cutting off a safe walking route for local schoolchildren, and denying its use as a popular recreational asset.

“I fully echo calls from residents, councillors, and schoolchildren in Trawsfynydd in their clearly expressed wish that the footbridge across the southern end of Llyn Trawsfynydd be repaired and made available for public use once again.

“The village of Trawsfynydd is strongly of the view that the loss of the bridge is having a detrimental effect. Children from Ysgol Bro Hedd Wyn, have added their voices to calls for it to be re-opened.

“At present, some children must walk to school along a stretch of the busy A470 trunk road. The footbridge previously formed a section of the eight-mile circular walk around Llyn Trawsfynydd and was much used by both walkers and anglers.

“It offered the double advantage of avoiding much of the trunk road and of bringing walkers into the centre of the village. I have used it myself as this is a popular family activity.”