The BBC admits it was wrong!!!!

The BBC news feed app, Tees section,  has an article about a bridge over the A689.

The article was factually WRONG! It quotes Diane Atkins of WRA as saying things about one bridge that related to another (not yet built) bridge as follows:

Context
At the Stockton Local Plan inspection on Tuesday 12th June the Wynyard section was up for examination.  Amongst other things, WRA had lodged an objection about the proposed foot / cycle bridge over the A689 to be erected at the East Gate to link both sides of Wynyard.
The Bridge
Diane Atkins, on behalf of WRA,  did say the proposed bridge would be an eyesore and a white elephant, Diane also asked why the council was persisting with the planning for the bridge and that WRA considered it a waste of section 106 developer money.  WRA suggested a crossing (as the junction is to be traffic lit anyway) and that this solution was good enough for the Wynyard west gate junction (in Hartlepool).

The BBC article has a picture of the Castle Eden walkway bridge over the A689 (about 2 miles west of the proposed bridge site) and claims the discussion was about a multi-million pound upgrade to the Castle Eden bridge.  It claims all of the quotes mentioned above were about the Castle Eden bridge, which was not referred to in the meeting.

The BBC were requested, through their complaints procedure, at 8.45 am on Sunday 17th May,  to take down the article, posted 15 hours previously.  It is still there.  The complaint has been ‘referred to the correct team’ and is being dealt with.  There is no way to escalate the complaint until the BBC reply to it.

WRA are very concerned that the article completely misrepresents both Diane Atkins and WRA and wish to make it clear to Wynyard residents and the public in general, that there were no derogatory remarks made about the Castle Eden walkway bridge.  The BBC also misrepresents Stockton Borough Council, as it claims they are spending £2.2 million on an upgrade to the Castle Eden bridge when the money is to be spent on a new bridge.

Please complain to the BBC.

In an email to Diane Atkins the BBC admitted the error and has changed the news item.  They also requested that this page be taken down.  In a spirit of reciprocity, WRA have amended this article.