A BRIDGE damaged in a dramatic pub collapse during the Boxing Day floods has finally reopened.

Part of Kay Street Bridge, in Summerseat was destroyed during the floods which wiped out the nearby Waterside pub.

Although the bridge has reopened to pedestrians, motorists are not yet allowed to drive over it.

Cllr Dorothy Gunther for North Manor ward, said: “The reopening of the bridge has been very welcomed by all the residents. It seems to be the number one tourist attraction at the minute with lots of people coming down to have a look and walk across it. I was down there on Saturday and it was very busy although there is still a lot of debris in the river.

“We really need it clearing away because the state it’s in now isn’t okay.

“Everyone can see right down the river but it’s still a bit of a mess. You can see the remnants of the former pub in its car park. The council are aware and it needs tidying up.”

Concerns have been raised about motorists needing access across the bridge after plans to convert a grade two listed building in Summerseat into a teacher training centre were passed last week. The Summerseat House training centre has 114 car parking spaces and will house 60 trainees per day.

Twitter user @bigglesdaf posted: “With the work to change the former exclusion school to a teacher training unit we will need vehicular access not just pedestrian.”

A spokesman for Bury Council admitted that although the Summerseat House may generate more traffic, it will only be a modest increase compared to when the building was previously operational.

He said: "It’s too early to say when the bridge can re-open to vehicles, but it is likely to be many months. There was a great deal of damage done by the floods, and there are a lot of external factors to consider.

"It is not possible to simply restore the bridge to its original state because, without the Waterside, there cannot be the same configuration of widths and parapets; also, the Waterside provided protection to the upstream side of the bridge, which is now exposed and in a poor state. Consequently, anything we do will take major works - there is no ‘mend and make do’ scenario."