A PUBLIC meeting is being arranged to discuss the closure of the Huntworth Railway Bridge for 22 weeks next summer.

North Petherton Town Council has invited Network Rail to attend the meeting, at Moorland village hall, on January 27.

The council says the closure would leave people in Moorland and Fordgate facing a massive round trip to get to North Petherton or Bridgwater.

Mayor Bill Revans said: “We understand this extended closure is being caused because Network Rail intend to keep the railway line open and are, therefore, only able to work overnight.”

However, Cllr Revans said the closure could cause serious problems for people in the nearby villages.

He added: “Local farmers will be badly affected in many ways; not least is the fact that a three-mile trip to the Rural Business Centre at junction 24 will become a 30-mile round trip.”