Residents' fury over railway bridge given 'garish' £600,000 paintjob in leafy London suburb

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 09:47, 19 July 2026 | Updated: 09:48, 19 July 2026 A council has been blasted after a railway bridge was given an 'IKEA' paintjob. Wandsworth Council, in south west London, spent £600,000 painting and carrying out upgrades such as 'pigeon-proofing' two railway bridges at East Putney tube station. The paint job, which was carried out in March under the body's previous administration, has been called 'garish' by local residents and compared to brands such as IKEA and HSS hire. Homeowner Emma, who has lived in Putney for eight years, says she thinks the new colours are 'out of character' compared to the previous muted red. The 38-year-old said: 'I just think it's a bit of a shame they've gone for this garish colour palette that's not in keeping with the surrounding area. 'It's all just become a bit of a running joke amongst everyone in terms of the IKEA bridge.' Council officers say the bridges, which are owned by Network Rail and Transport for London, were repainted according to a specification recommended by the local council and approved by former Labour councillor Finna Ayres. Officers confirmed that there had been no formal consultation for the paint job, as it was considered 'capital maintenance' and was, therefore, not legally required. Wandsworth Council, in south west London , spent £600,000 painting and carrying out upgrades The paint job, which was carried out in March under the body's previous administration, has been called 'garish' by local residents Conservative ward councillor and cabinet member for children George Crivelli said: 'I think it's a bit too bright, and not in keeping with the local area. 'My main concern about it was that, in effect, one councillor has decided the colour scheme on it. 'What I would have liked was that we actually maybe consulted local residents on it. 'That way we could have got something that was perhaps more in keeping with the area and something that local residents felt more comfortable with. 'I'm very pleased to see the bridge being repainted, and I'm very pleased to see it being cleaned up, but a lot of people think it's a bit garish, and I have to say I'm inclined to agree on that. 'People call it the IKEA bridge, I've heard people say it looks like an IKEA bridge. 'Perhaps it's not really in keeping with the East Putney area overall. 'The only positive thing about those bright colours is that I suppose it will fade over time, won't it?' In response to backlash last month, a senior transport planner at the council said there were 'no plans to revise the design' with the number of negative comments considered 'relatively few given the very large numbers of local residents and station users.' A Wandsworth Council spokesperson said: 'The cost was £600,000 and the project was completed in May 2026.'