COUNCIL officers are investigating whether they can install a temporary bridge in place of a century-old structure which was closed last month.

Deerness Bridge, which links Ushaw Moor and New Brancepeth over the River Deerness, west of Durham City, has been closed since April 13 after an inspection found ‘structural integrity’ issues.

Durham County Council is looking at installing a temporary bridge which would enable to the bridge be opened to vehicles and pedestrians.

A spokesperson said: “We have been reviewing some possible options to re-open Deerness Bridge to vehicles and pedestrians by investigating the potential installation of a bailey (temporary) bridge.

“This would allow us to lift some of the diversions currently in place.

“There are currently no timescales available for this work, however there will regular updates in the coming weeks.”

A review has been commissioned to investigate whether the bridge can be reopened to limited traffic.

However, this may take up to six months to implement and will be subject to statutory consent from the Environment Agency if river work is required.

The cost of replacing the bridge, which is 116 years old, could be £1.5m.

The closure has affected two public bus services, Arriva 48 and Scarlet Band 47, and school buses to Durham Community Business College, St Leonard’s RC and Durham Johnston.

Further details can be found at durham.gov.uk/deernessbridge