Complex sentence: When this was removed many local people were desperately disappointed as the bridge had lost all its embellishments and the previous colour scheme of gardenia and plum had been replaced by black and white paint, nothing like its original state.
Split into simpler sentences: When this was removed many local people were disappointed as the bridge had lost all its embellishments. The previous colour scheme of gardenia and plum had been replaced by black and white paint, nothing like its original state.