A COUPLE of councillors rolled up their sleeves to clean up The Bridge in Taunton - and save taxpayers' money.

Cllrs Catherine Herbert and Jane Warmington, of Taunton Deane Council, were spurred into action after a number of people commented on the landmark's shabby appearance.

Mrs Warmington, portfolio holder for community leadership, said: “Catherine (portfolio holder for sports, parks and leisure) thought it might be an idea to see just how grubby it is and how easy it might be to scrub it up.

“So the two of us had a go at cleaning a couple of panels on Friday morning.

“We've brightened them up on the inside using a dustpan and brush, a washing-up brush, warm water and Ecover, as it's near water.

“It took a bit longer than expected because it turned into a very useful surgery as lots of people stopped to talk to us and discovered we were councillors.”

The Bridge was last repainted in 2001 and last cleaned in 2008, the latter costing £3,000.