A retired engineer fears a famous Warwick bridge may collapse under the strain of daily traffic.
Around 20,000 vehicles pass over Castle Bridge in Banbury Road every day. It is the main route across the River Avon from Leamington and the south.
But resident Dennis Crips believes more should be done to protect the structure, which dates back t
o 1793, and stop heavy goods vehicles using it.
He said: "The bridge was built for the traffic of the 18th century but now we have 40-tonne lorries going over it.
"Bridges can suffer from fatigue failure which happens instantly.
"It is inspected every year using standard bridge guidelines but this is a long-term problem which we know very little about."
The St Nicholas Church Street resident has been a member of the town's traffic forum for five years and decided to speak about the problems after similar bridges collapsed during recent floods in Cockermouth, Cumbria.
A study into the causes of fatigue failure is currently taking place at the University of the West of England and Mr Crips believes Warwickshire County Council should reduce traffic on the bridge until the results are released.
He said: "The bridge is a gem and if it was to collapse it would be terrible for the town and the local economy."
A county council spokesman said: "Engineers inspect highway bridges in Warwickshire on a yearly basis, carrying out maintenance where necessary.
"Castle Bridge was last inspected in September when the general structure and under water foundations were thoroughly checked in line with the usual council policy of crossings over rivers or streams.
"It is not necessary at this time to make any changes to the bridge."
