UGLY construction vehicles have already done their bit in spoiling a picturesque spot on the River Tweed - and it’s only going to get worse.

That was the view of residents in Tweedsmuir as work began this week on a temporary crossing ahead of repairs to Carlowse Bridge.

Trees have already been ripped out and parts of the river bank have been turned into a building site as the controversial £569,000 repair project got underway.

A resident and member of the Tweedsmuir Bridge Advisory Group Paul Greaves said: “It’s going to be absolute devastation. It already looks a mess and they’ve only been on it for a few days.

“They’ve already taken eight trees down even though they told us only four would need to come down. As far as I am aware nobody has been out here to see the damage that would be caused by this work.

“It’s so upsetting to see what is happening and what makes it worse is they would have not had to touch a blade of grass if they’d gone with what the residents wanted.” Another resident Christine Parker said: “The work is nothing like the council told us it would be. They said they weren’t going into the next field but they have done.

“It’s all turned into a huge work site and and there’s no access to the river where people like to go swimming. I know people like to come up from Peebles all the time as it’s such a good spot.

“This is quite a scenic spot for people passing through Talla Linn and it’s been completely spoilt. This is only the start of it. I can only imagine it’s going to get worse and there’s not much we can do about it.” The TBAG called for a separate bridge for heavy logging lorries that would have preserved the ancient Carlowse Bridge for lighter traffic.

The community’s proposal would have cost £700,000 but councillors voted in favour of the cheaper option, originally priced at £417,000, to repair the crumbling B-listed bridge and provide a temporary crossing while the work was being done.

The bill has since increased by £157,000 to allow for additional scaffolding and masonry repairs to Carlowse Bridge.

Mr Greaves insisted that a new bridge to take heavy vehicles would have been the better value-for-money option. He claimed the residents’ option had been supported by one of the UK’s leading experts in masonry bridge structures.

The main repairs on the bridge will start once the temporary crossing is open and are expected to take around 14 weeks with the completion date forecast for mid-November.

A spokesperson for Scottish Borders Council said work began on July 7 and involved preparation for the delivery and installation of the temporary vehicular bridge to be located on the downstream side of Carlowse Bridge.

“The current works include an area of the site being stripped for the access ramp and the compound area, which was always part of the project,” the spokesperson said.

“The soil strip is being confined to the field and banking, with no material being tracked or transported on the public road. The boundary of the site is fenced off, ensuring segregation of the works from the public.

“The site compound is in a field alongside the river, which was agreed some time ago with the landowner, and is outwith the Site of Special Scientific Interest."