Bridge reunifies flood town

A town that was split in two after a bridge was washed away by floods has been brought together again for the first time in five months.

People wanting to get from one side of Workington in Cumbria to the other have been unable to do so since the Northside Bridge collapsed on 20 November, killing a policeman. Until yesterday, they were forced to take an 18-mile diversion to cross the River Derwent.

The new £4.6m Jansen Bridge was completed in 72 days – five weeks ahead of schedule. Jill Stannard, chief executive for Cumbria County Council, said the speed of its construction was "a tremendous achievement".

Close to the two-lane bridge, Canon Bryan Rowe, the rector of Workington, blessed a tree planted to commemorate the death of PC Bill Baker, 44, who was killed when the Northside Bridge collapsed. The Derwent had become a raging torrent after the heaviest rain on record in England.

The deluge, described as a once in a thousand years event, brought widespread flooding to Cumbria, especially in Workington and Cockermouth.