Clitheroe bridge repairs delayed due to bad weather

The structure of the historic bridge on the Waddington-bound side was damaged after being hit by a water tanker.

Officials from Lancashire County Council thought it would take a couple of weeks to repair the damage, however, they today revealed it will take a little longer.

A county council spokesman said: "The repairs to Edisford Bridge are progressing well, however, the work is taking a bit longer than we originally estimated, partly due to wet and cold weather, and partly due to the time it takes to carefully remove the old mortar in order to reuse the original stone. We have now built the bridge back up to the level of the road, with the new stone now cut and starting to be fitted. We're hoping to complete the repairs within the next two weeks, however it may take longer if the weather is poor."

While shorter routes are available for most vehicles, a signed diversion suitable for all vehicle types is in place via Clitheroe, Chatburn, Sawley, Waddington and Bashall Town. Low bridges in Waddington and Whalley mean this is the shortest available route for all traffic including HGVs. The bridge is still open for pedestrians and cyclists, and will remain open throughout the repair work. The full diversion is as follows: Edisford Road - Twitter Lane - West Bradford Road- Waddington Road - Grindleton Road - Grindleton Brow - Sawley Road - Gisburn Road (A59) - Pimlico Link Road- Chatburn Road - Waterloo Road - Whalley Road - Eshton Terrace - Thorn Street - Edisford Road.