Businesses and commuters in Kendal are hoping it is a case of third time lucky after a key arterial town in the road reopened at the weekend.

Victoria Bridge – which carries the A6 across the River Kent – reopened on Saturday after the second closure in as many months to allow emergency repair work to be undertaken on its foundations.

The bridge, which had been closed in the early 2016 in the wake of Storm Desmond, was damaged further during July and August due to heavy rainfall.

In a statement, Cumbria County Council said it “would like to thank the public for their patience and thank the contractors for working so hard to open the bridge as quickly as possible”.

The bridge was closed for more than two weeks across July and early August after heavy rainfall undermined the piers supporting the 150-year-old structure. The most recent closure, again due to the weather, saw the bridge out of action for just over a week.

And while there is relief among traders – many of whom have seen footfall drop dramatically or have been faced with lengthy diversions to make and receive deliveries – the frustration has continued.

Nigel Byrom, whose home furnishing business on Stramongate has been a feature on the town for generations, criticised the council for a lack of communication.

"Our business has been here for 86 years and I won't be going anywhere, but many people I speak to no longer want to go into Kendal because of the traffic problems and the parking, and I worry about the future of the town centre,” he said.

Meanwhile, drivers for kitchenware retailer Lakeland Limited have been forced to make a 30-mile detour to navigate the closure from its huge global distribution centre at Westmorland Business Park.

One of its owners, Julian Rayner, said: “If this had happened in London, it would quite rightly have been addressed straight away. 

"You have to ask why are we still suffering here in Kendal. We want to stay here and continue to provide jobs for local people but this is making it very difficult for us.

"We are competing with major retailers such as Amazon and John Lewis so it is very tough and this is making it much tougher.”

Hundreds of tonnes of rock armour and grout have been laid around the foundations of Victoria Bridge to protect it from the river following recent heavy rainfall.

CCC has insisted work undertaken in January 2016 – just over a month after Kendal was hit by flooding due to Storm Desmond – was a temporary fix to keep the key bridge operational before the start of work on a longer term solution.

The latest reopening will now allow for work on this solution to get underway.

CCC, the Environment Agency and its contractor, Story Contracting Limited, will now recommence £740,000-worth of structural work, which is expected to be completed around October.

The closures have led to increased calls for a norther relief road for Kendal linking the A591 at the Plumgarths roundabout to Kendal’s industrial areas along the A6 Shap Road.

CCC recently confirmed that it has prepared an application to the Department for Transport for feasibility funding for the Kendal Northern Development Route.

The new road is designed to ease congestion by diverting traffic around the town and while creating opportunities for new business development.