A Mearns bridge which was threatening to collapse on to the East Coast Mainline has been pulled down.
The crumbling 170-year-old Abbeyton Bridge – also known locally as the Cocketty Bridge – carries the B966 across the rail line and was threatening the safety of trains.
The bridge has been closed since July after inspections found serious structural failings in the stonework.
The ribbed elliptical masonry arched bridge made it an extremely complicated structure to work on and repair was not an option.
Work started at 10pm on Christmas Eve after the last train of the day and continued on Christmas Day, when no trains were running.
In a bid to avoid further chaos on the lines, which blighted the pre-Christmas period, the operation had to be completed in time for the railway returning to normal service on Thursday.
A specialist contractor was brought in to work alongside council engineers to dismantle the bridge which was down by mid-morning on Christmas Day.
The cost of the demolition alone is expected to be in the region of £1m, more than one-third of the council’s £2.8m annual budget for bridges and other structures.
Despite some alterations made in the 1960s, the bridge is essentially the same structure that was built 170 years ago.
