VIDEO: Wet weather sets back reopening of Hurst Green footbridge

Dinckley Bridge, over the River Ribble, was badly damaged by Storm Desmond back in 2015 when flood waters buckled the upper part of the 1951 structure.

Work started in July and since then repairs have been carried out to raise the structure of the bridge above the height where it could be affected by flood waters in future.

The bridge was supposed to open by the end of March, however, officials have now confirmed it won’t be open until the end of April.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: “Work on the new Dinckley Footbridge is very nearly finished. There is still some work needed to complete the ramp on the north bank as well as reinstating the surrounding land and paths to the bridge.

We had been working towards being able to open the bridge to the public at the start of April, however the recent wet weather has slowed progress on the land reinstatement, and some changes to the plans for the north access ramp mean the opening will be delayed for a few weeks.

“We are monitoring ground conditions with the aim of allowing people to begin using the bridge before the end of April, with an official opening event to follow.

“Once the bridge is open we will have some further work to do in the surrounding area to restore field boundaries, sow grass, and plant trees.”

Once opened, the Hurst Green footbridge will have a ramp too for people with pushchairs and wheel-chair users.