A BAN on buses and other large vehicles from using a "weak" bridge on a busy main road could last two years, it has emerged.

The restrictions are being introduced this week following fears over the stability of the bridge in Palmerston Road, Walthamstow, which is near the junction with Mission Grove and runs over the Barking to Gospel Oak railway line.

It was initially thought the measures would last a few weeks, but Transport for London (TfL) now states they could continue until May 2014.

Vehicles that are more than two metres wide and three tonnes heavy are being banned by the council with the help of alterations to the width of the road.

And the busy W11 and W15 buses services are also both being diverted.

Network Rail, which is responsible for maintaining the bridge, has been unable to provide details of when or if repairs will be carried out.

Paul Duncan, 49, of Green Pond Close in Walthamstow, uses both buses regularly to travel to his IT job in central London.

He said: "I think it will cause massive disruption and the bus timetable will go to pot.

"I could understand it if this was for a couple of months, but surely it won't take two whole years to fix. The council and TfL need to put pressure on Network Rail to sort it out sooner."

Glenn Wallis, of the Barking to Gospel Oak User Line Group (BGOULG), blamed a lack of investment and said warnings had first been made decades ago.

He said: “BGOLUG got hold of a British Rail report back in 1993 which said that practically all the steel bridges on the line were all nearly life expired”.

Mr Wallis said the case was an example of the "flawed" system of rail authorities being responsible for both road and rail bridges. He said rail bridges were often more likely to be repaired than road bridges.

A Network Rail spokeswoman said: "Unfortunately, the bridge in Palmerston Road has failed an assessment and a temporary weight limit has been put into place.

“We are working with Waltham Forest Council on a solution to improve the condition of the bridge."

The road restrictions include the temporary suspension of the ban on vehicles turning from Forest Road right into Hoe Street and the lifting of the one-way system in Somers Road.

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