A town councillor is calling for action to end the toll of people seeking to end their lives by jumping from the Tamar Bridge. Sue Hooper, of Saltash Town Council, made the plea at a recent town council meeting as tributes were paid to community worker Julian Grail, whose body had been found in the river. She said that when the cantilever was built on the bridge the railings were not high enough and were eventually raised, but only at either end of the footway and not in the middle. This was something that could be improved in the future. Later, cllr Hooper told The Cornish Times that there could be a direct phone line installed on the bridge, linked to the Samaritans to provide help for emotionally vulnerable people. Cllr Hooper said a similar system is employed on the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, which has helped reduce the number of lives lost. 'I would like the town council to write to the Joint Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry committee with a view to addressing this issue in greater depth, by raising the height of the fence on the walkway and having a Samaritan direct line,' she added.
