Elland bridge to remain closed until January

The rebuilt bridge is now expected to open in January

The opening of a bridge damaged in flooding last December has been delayed until January.

Elland Bridge in West Yorkshire partially collapsed in the 2015 floods.

The "complex" project to rebuild Grade II-listed structure should finish in January, said Calderdale Council

Originally it was hoped to open it before the end of the year but moving services from a temporary bridge to the new one had delayed work, said the council.

Council leader Tim Swift said: "I can reassure people that we're in the final stages of the work to complete the bridge and are doing all we can to reopen it as quickly as possible."

Floodwater washed out the foundations of the 1811 bridge and caused severe structural damage and a crack in the road surface on 29 December.

Elland Bridge partially collapsed after significant flooding in the area

It is being rebuilt, along with nearby Crowther Bridge, using £5.5 million from flood-recovery funding.

After utility cables have been installed in the new bridge the final tasks include work on the parapets, masonry and road surface.

A temporary bridge for pedestrians was installed in February and the Calder and Hebble Navigation canal under the bridge was opened in July.

Several barges were left stranded on the towpath below the bridge after high water receded