Businesses and the community in Staveley have been reconnected with the opening of a new bridge.

It is the first time the village has been connected since December 2015 when Storm Desmond caused devastation across the area.

Stephen Hall, Cumbria County Council Assistant Director, Highways, Transport and Fleet, said: “A huge amount of work has gone into the planning, design, construction and delivery of this project – over 8,000 worker hours in total – and the new bridge looks superb.

"The loss of Old Gowan Bridge during Storm Desmond has had a significant impact on the local community and I would like to thank people for their patience and understanding during this difficult period.”

Cumbria County Council spent half a million pounds on the Gowan Bridge replacement.

David Brockbank, of Staveley Mill Yard, said: "We are very relieved that our village can get back to normal after Storm Desmond.

"We are very grateful to Cumbria County Council for working closely with us and to Thomas Armstrong and their contractors for working seven days a week to repair the bridge. We look forward to working hard to get our visitors back and show them what a wonderful, vibrant working community Staveley is."