Bridge repair bill soars after flood

That figure is on top of a bill of £2.7m needed to reopen Richmond's Mercury bridge, which suffered during the June flooding.

Maintenance and strengthening work on the Mercury bridge had to be rescheduled during the summer when parts of the central parapet and arches collapsed under the force of the River Swale, which was swollen by torrential rain.

The repairs to the listed structure forced North Yorkshire County Council to put off 23 strengthening projects out of an initial target of 64 for this financial year.

With a total of 70 structures scheduled for strengthening across the county next year, at an estimated cost of £5m, the council is battling against a growing backlog of repair projects.

The council hopes that much of the funding to bring the Mercury bridge up to scratch will come from the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, but, to date, only £700,000 has been received.

Councillors hope that further Government funding will arrive as the repair bill caused by November's floods comes to light.

Councillor Clifford Wilson, who sits on the council's environmental services scrutiny committee, which will discuss the repair bill during its next meeting on Monday, said it was paramount that more funding materialised.

He said: "We have already received £700,000 towards the strengthening of the Mercury bridge, but we need more to complete the necessary work, and we would hope that further Government funding is sent.

"Bridges are an essential lifeline for a rural area such as North Yorkshire, and we hope that the Government recognises their importance. It is vital that we use any funding efficiently.

"We have perhaps not had the funding to carry out all the necessary repairs in recent years, but now it is essential that we get the help we desperately need."

Other victims of the November floods include Creets bridge, at Kirkby Malzeard, near Ripon, and Flat bridge, at Bolton Abbey, which also need extensive strengthening work