A 'hero' pensioner chained himself to a 'much-loved' village footbridge in a bid to stop it being demolished.
Bulldozers arrived in Brockenhurst on Wednesday to start tearing down the 70-year-old footbridge, but were forced to pause after local resident Mike James strapped himself to the structure.
Forestry England, which manages public access to the forest, sparked fury among locals when it lodged plans to demolish the 'deteriorating' bridge.
However, their attempts to knock it down were thwarted by dozens of protesters, who joined Mr James in blocking access.
Mr James had planned to chain himself to the barriers on the bridge, but it had been removed earlier in the week along with the handrail.
