Carlisle's Victoria Viaduct reopens after Central Plaza safety work

The building has been cloaked in scaffolding for several years

One of the main roads into Carlisle city centre has reopened after almost two months following work to remove 100 tonnes of masonry from a derelict hotel.

Victoria Viaduct reopened shortly after 21:00 BST on Wednesday having been closed since the beginning of May because of the dangerous state of the former Central Plaza Hotel.

Specialist contractors have worked on the gables and a roof section.

It has been unused since 2004.

Carlisle City Council has said it will look to have the Grade II-listed building demolished if a developer cannot be found.

However, because the building does not have an owner it is subject to a legal process called escheat.

That means the Crown Estate - a government-run institution - is allowed to sell it, although it does not own it.

Bob Cooper, BBC Cumbria

The Victoria Viaduct, which crosses the railway and then joins English Street in the city centre, is now fully open to traffic and the pavements are open to pedestrians as well - except for the areas right next to the former Central Plaza Hotel which are still boarded off.

West Walls has now reopened as well. What that all means for people here is that after two months of disruption, they're able to get into work and into town via their normal route.

Several businesses have been closed while this work has been going on. Tesco reopened last week, but others have remained closed until today, including the Carlisle Bed Centre.

Victoria Viaduct had been closed while contractors removed the loose masonry