WORK to repair a road bridge weakened by flood water is set to begin next week, with business owners hoping the impact on their livelihoods will be minimal.

Contractors will begin strengthening the crumbling 19th Century bridge over a beck in Manfield, near Darlington, on June 1. It is expected the work will take up to a fortnight.

Peter Hynes runs the award-winning Crown Inn in the village, as well as Number Twenty 2, in Darlington town centre.

He is concerned that a prolonged road closure could have a detrimental impact on his trade.

He said: “The window that has been given for the works is two weeks, but we hope from a business point of view that it does not take that long.

“With the road closed, the diversion to get to us from that side of the village will take traffic down towards Barton, turning left on the Stapleton road and then through Cleasby.

“It is going to affect the village massively, as it is a heavily used road, people use it as a rat-run into Darlington.

“Buses will not be able to come through, although we only get four buses a day.”

Mr Hynes said he would consider taking legal advice with a view to making a claim for loss of earnings, if his trade is substantially affected by the work.

He added: “I suppose we have to be a bit philosophical about it – if the bride has to be repaired, then it has to be repaired.

“But if it ends up being closed for a fortnight, that is a bit excessive.”

Work on the bridge, which is on land owned by Cliffe Estate, had been due to start on June 8, but has been brought forward a week.

Malcolm Hird, vice-chairman of Manfield with Cliffe parish council, praised North Yorkshire County Council, the highways authority, for bringing the work forward.

He said: “The landowner got a contractor in to dig out the ditch nearby, to stop flood water coming onto the road.

“The bridge is crumbling and could just cave in if nothing is done about it. The council has been very good about arranging to have the work carried out.”