New bridge finished across the River Darwen after flood damage

A bridge washed away in the Christmas floods of 2015 has finally been replaced.

Connecting Coupe Green and Gregson Lane to Samlesbury the Carver footbridge was damaged by floodwater.

Lancashire County Council has spent £500,000 on the new bridge which was severely damaged during the bad December weather.

The replacement bridge in South Ribble is twice as long as the previous bridge and also higher.

It has a new design which should resist any future flooding on the River Darwen.

Footage captured during the Christmas flooding showed the bridge being washed away on Boxing Day.

The bridge has been constructed thanks to funding received from the Department for Transport to repair damaged infrastructure following the December 2015 floods. — The bridge has been constructed thanks to funding received from the Department for Transport to repair damaged infrastructure following the December 2015 floods

Cabinet member for highways and transport county councillor Keith Iddon said: “Many bridges in the area were badly damaged during the floods in the winter of 2015 and the new Carver Bridge is part of our ongoing plans to repair them.

“It’s great that people will once again be able to cross the River Darwen by foot at Coupe Green.

“The new bridge is built to resist higher flood waters and is stronger than the original one.

“The bridge is arched and built in a style that fits in with the surrounding area. Supports at either end of the bridge have been covered using stonework from the original Carver Bridge.”

Have you been across the new bridge? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below