MOTORISTS are being warned that a flood-damaged bridge in North Yorkshire will be closed on Friday, May 31, as repairs get underway.

The road and bridge in the centre of Scorton near Richmond will be closed for around 12 hours from 7am.

The bridge was severely damaged by flood water last September, and has been out of commission since. In the meantime, traffic and pedestrians have been using a temporary bridge.

But on Friday the temporary bridge will be moved around 30 metres downstream to allow contractors to gain access to the original bridge so that the main job of repairing it can get under way.

During the closure it will not be possible to cross the river but access to both sides of Scorton will be possible following diversionary routes.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire County Council apologised for any inconvenience and said every effort would be made to keep disruption to a minimum.