River taxis launch as Shrewsbury bridge shuts for repair work

Operator Illia Kyshynevskyi gets the river taxi service under way

A river taxi has been launched on the Severn while maintenance work is carried out on a suspension footbridge in Shropshire.

The closure of the Porthill crossing in Shrewsbury is expected to last three weeks.

The work includes painting parapets and replacing deck boards plus worn-out, anti-slip surfacing.

However, the shuttle was unable to operate on Tuesday due to rising river levels.

The group Original Shrewsbury, from the town's Business Improvement District (BID), tweeted that it would keep a close eye on the river and forecasted rain, with the service set to be "up and running again when suitable to do so".

Pedestrians were still able to cross the Severn via the Welsh and Kingsland bridges.

The trips cost £1 but people can buy weekly or family tickets

The taxi service is being operated by company Sabrina.

Owner Dilwyn Jones said they spotted the footbridge closure notice in a newspaper and phoned Shropshire Council, the local highways department and Shrewsbury BID representatives to get the service under way, along with some help to subsidise the trips.

"It's just a pound return and there's a weekly pass and a family ticket and it should be a nice little service for people," Mr Jones said.

Pedestrians could get aboard next to the Boat House pub and be taken over to a pontoon by business Coffee Evolution, he explained, adding: "There's no timetable if you like, we just keep ferrying back and [forth]... it takes about a minute to cross."