DEMOLITION work has begun on a Summerseat pub that collapsed during severe floods.

The former Waterside pub, in Kay Street, dramatically collapsed on Boxing Day.

Bury Council officials at the site said they hoped to have one side of the building torn down today and that the road around the pub would be closed for some time.

A spokesman said: "We will hopefully get one side of it down today. The bridge will have to be closed for the foreseeable future because we will need to assess it properly once the building area has been made safe."

Businessman Tony Tickle, who is based in offices next to the pub, said: "Unbelievably, we barely had any water come in. I have had those offices 20 years and they have never been flooded. I got a call from the Environment Agency on Boxing Day and got down here as quickly as I could."

GALLERY AND VIDEO: 50+ photos of Bolton and Bury floods and clean-up operation

Nearby resident Karen Stapleton added: "People have been wondering for years what would happen to the pub, and I suppose the decision has been made now. I have been in Summerseat for 40 years and this is the worst flooding i have ever seen. 

"It's a real shame because it's a local landmark, but it has been left in a bad state and that has contributed to the damage it has suffered now."