Last updated at 20:03, Thursday, 22 April 2010

REPAIR work is to start on Cockermouth’s flood-hit Miller’s footbridge this summer.

LIFTED: The damaged Miller’s footbridge is removed from the River Derwent

Cumbria County Council has confirmed that about £80,000 of work will be done, including one of the abutments, repairing one of the piers and lengthening the bridge by about eight feet. Lighting will also be installed on the bridge.

Work is expected to take around two months.

In December part of the bridge, also known as the Memorial Gardens footbridge, was removed from the river after it had been ripped apart in November’s floods.

News of the work has delighted residents on the north of the river who have faced a 20-minute journey into town since the floods.

Dilys Smith, 54, of Derwent Mills, said: “It will certainly make life much easier.

“I have to go through Wakefield Car Park and over Gote Bridge at the moment which puts around 20 minutes on the journey and when you have heavy bags of shopping it really takes it out of you.

“I’ve also had to do the journey in bad weather and it isn’t pleasant, especially when you only need one or two things.

“The journey across the footbridge only took about two minutes to get into town.

“It will be good to get back to normal.”

First published at 19:30, Thursday, 22 April 2010
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk