Exclusive: Mix-up at Mick George Bury St Edmunds cement plant caused months-long delay to A1088 Bridge Farm Bridge reconstruction in Stowlangtoft

A mistake at a cement plant contributed to a months-long delay of a £1.9 million bridge reconstruction project.

A series of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests by SuffolkNews to Suffolk Highways revealed the concrete defects which affected the rebuild of Bridge Farm Bridge, on the A1088 in Stowlangtoft, were caused by an incorrect delivery at the Mick George batching plant in Bury St Edmunds.

The wrong material was released into a cement silo, which was then delivered to Bridge Farm Bridge, and ultimately resulted in significantly weaker concrete foundations than were required, which was detailed in a statement by Mick George.

A driver at an unnamed haulage contractor which made the delivery to Mick George did not make anyone aware of his ‘error’ until the piles had been installed, and he faced disciplinary action because of it, according to emails obtained by SuffolkNews.

Emails showed those involved in the project became aware of the weaker piles on October 1. Another email on October 10 said site operations were ‘effectively suspended’.

On October 9, SuffolkNews reported Highways’ announcement of the works being paused, which did not restart until November 4.

The reconstruction was initially due to be completed by December 20 but this was pushed back to the end of February.

A further delay until March 7 was confirmed last week to accommodate UK Power Networks.

Businesses in Norton have deplored the situation and think they should be compensated for their financial losses.

SuffolkNews’ FOIs found no compensation has been paid to businesses due to the project.

Justin Seldis, landlord of The Norton Dog, said the project and its delay had deprived his business of the critical summer and Christmas months, and he does not yet know how much he has lost.

“The fact that such a monumental error has been made and we’ve not been offered compensation is appalling,” he said. “The change in the schedule from the end of December to the end of February, and now March, has scuppered all the plans I had for new year’s promotions and trying to bolster us to make up for the losses.

“No one has come to me saying ‘this will have affected your business, here’s something to help’. January and February are the worst months in hospitality – to continue that pain into the delicate months has been incredibly stressful. It will take years to recover from this.”

Justin added other road closures around the area have made it almost impossible for customers to get to the pub at times, and his team had spent more time ‘being Google Maps’ than operating as a pub.

The Mick George statement obtained by SuffolkNews said about six to 10 tonnes of pulverised fuel ash (PFA), a cement replacement, was mistakenly discharged into a Cem1 OPC silo. The latter material was being supplied to the bridge project for concrete piles.

The contaminated Cem1 OPC was then delivered to the site, causing significantly weaker piles on the north side which Mick George certified was not fit for purpose.

An investigation ensued which revealed the driver’s mistake and informed project managers of why the piles were weaker.

An email, dated October 24, from a Suffolk Highways employee to another Highways employee and someone from Milestone, Highways’ contractor for the project, questioned how long it would be before a way forward could be agreed.

By October 31, a new £14,000 redesign of the faulty piles had been agreed.

Andy Burt, of Andys Auto Fix in Norton, said he was gobsmacked to learn of how the issues came about.

“As a professional person, if you make a mistake you hold your hands up straight away and get it put right in a timely manner,” he said. “It’s beyond words really.

“Nobody seems to be taking any responsibility – no one seems to be embarrassed by how long it has taken

“We’re at the point where we just have to laugh about it now.”

The £1.9 million sum highlighted is Highways’ anticipated spend of the project, as revealed by SuffolkNews’ FOIs.

A spokesperson for Suffolk Highways said its quality control protocols and checks discovered an issue in autumn, which caused the delay while it took remedial action.

They said: “Since then, we have taken measures to minimise further disruption, including adjusting the construction programme to work on concurrent build activities.

“We continue to keep residents, motorists and other stakeholders updated while these essential improvement works are completed and would like to thank the local community for their continued patience.”

Milestone and Mick George were approached for comment.