Villagers are furious after thieves stole the metal railings from a road bridge in the middle of the night.

The theft at Shripney Lane over the Aldingbourne Rife river in Shripney, near Bognor, was reported to Sussex Police.

Temporary concrete barriers have been installed as a safety measure on the bridge.

Residents are furious and say the theft placed members of the public at risk.

West Sussex County Council said the thieves would probably sell the railings as scrap metal but it is not thought they would get more than a few hundred pounds for them.

The replacement railings are likely to cost about £15,000 and will be put on the bridge within six weeks.

Will Green, senior engineer at the council, said: "This was a mindless theft that could have put the public at risk.

"We've now made the bridge safe with temporary barriers to protect vehicles.

"We've got a duty of care to the public to make sure it's safe.

"The new parapets we'll put in place will have anti-vandal bolts to hold them down and make them secure. Hopefully it will stop this happening again."

Michael Johnson, 62, clerk at Bersted Parish Council, reported the theft to the police.

He said: "The bridge was left in a very dangerous state."

Jonathan Spencer, 25, of North Bersted Street, Shripney, who sits on Bersted Parish Council, said the thieves must have had heavy equipment to lift the metal and carry it off.

He said: "It was a nice walk along the bridge but now we have concrete lumps.

"It's nasty to think the country has got to the point where vandals can get away with doing whatever they want."

Another parish councillor, Harry Elsey, said: "The people who stole these railings are scum.

"Removing those railings made the bridge highly dangerous and it's a disgraceful thing to do."

The theft happened in the early hours of Monday.

Earlier this month The Argus reported that West Sussex County Council is having to spend £3,000 to replace 20 drain covers, taken by thieves in Horsham, Lower Beeding and Warnham.

A police spokeswoman said: "The incident was not close to where the drain covers were stolen so we are not linking the two events."

The incidents are the latest in a string of thefts of items for their scrap metal value.

In April last year, thieves stole 14 aluminium doors from street light boxes in Brighton.

In March last year, more than 25 gates were taken from three farms near Steyning.