A BRIDGE which suffered structural damage due to a flooding from a burst water pipe reopened to vehicles yesterday.

Newburn Bridge in Newcastle underwent extensive repairs to damage caused by a major burst pipe in May.

It reopened on Sunday morning, a week earlier than originally planned.

Northumbrian Water’s network services regional manager, Davey Stobbart said: “We know how important this bridge is to residents and commuters across the Tyne and we apologise wholeheartedly for the inconvenience that this road closure has caused.

“Anyone who witnessed the burst at Newburn Bridge will appreciate the tremendous power of water and, unfortunately, the damage it caused extended well beyond the simple pipework.

“Making sure the bridge is safe has been our main priority and we’ve been working alongside the experts at Newcastle City Council to carry out this significant engineering work as quickly as we could.”