Reopening date for Poole's Twin Sails bridge

The Twin Sails bridge is expected to reopen in December

Long-awaited repairs to Poole's Twin Sails Bridge are set to be completed next month, a council has said.

The lifting bridge, which connects Poole and Hamworthy across a busy boating channel, has remained raised since 26 August due to "abnormal creaking sounds" detected by engineers.

The council previously said its team was carrying out as much preparatory work as possible ahead of the arrival of parts required to complete the repairs.

Chief operations officer at Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council Glynn Barton said work was set to start on 15 December and take about a week "subject to safety testing".

"I know how important it is that we get this right for residents: and our team is fully committed to doing just that," he added.

In a Facebook post, Labour councillor for Hamworthy Peter Cooper shared an update from BCP Council's mechanical and electrical manager Tom Pearce.

Mr Pearce said "all being well", the bridge was expected to be reopened to traffic from 22 December, with work expected to be completed on 21 December.