A PETITION calling for Newport Transporter Bridge to remain open to visitors all year round has gathered 2,800 signatures.

It was handed to Newport council on Friday and will be seen by the head of service when she returns from leave, said chairman of the Friends of the Newport Transporter Bridge, David Hando.

The Friends want the 240-foothigh bridge, which was completed in 1906, to open at least at weekends, if not every day, after Newport council introduced a seasonal closure arrangement last year to save money on staff costs.

The winter closure, which started at the end of September, will come to an end on March 30, but even then the bridge will only be open five days of the week under the current arrangement, with the bridge closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

“We are trying to get the council to have a rethink with regard to next winter,” Mr Hando told the Argus.

Last year the committee wrote to Debbie Wilcox, cabinet member for leisure at Newport council, objecting to the seasonal closure.

The visitor centre at the transporter bridge is open seven days a week from 10am until 4pm.