RINGLEY Old Bridge will close for about four months for extensive maintenance work.

The grade II listed walkway, which runs over River Irwell and connects Ringley with Kearsley and Stoneclough, will be shut off at the end of the month.

During this period, its understructure will be repaired and, because much of the work is below water level, a barrier will be installed in parts of the river bed so repairs can be done safely.

Signs will be put in place to divert pedestrians to the main Ringley Bridge.

Mr Ian Southern, headteacher of St Saviour's Primary School, said the school has spoken to pupils about being safe on the roads while the bridge is shut.

He said: "The closure will add about five or 10 minutes to the journeys of children who are cycling to school, as they will have to go all the way round the bridge.

"We are concerned about the children using the main road and we have informed them to take more care and stick to the pavements.

"We would have liked a bit more notice from the council, to give us more time to speak to parents about what it will mean for themselves and their children.

"But we have now spoken to everyone and I'm sure we will be vigilant during the closure."

Kearsley councillor Liam Irving said: "The base of the bridge has suffered water damage, which is why the work is being carried out.

"I understand that several groups, such as parents taking their kids to school and workers in the area, will be inconvenienced by this closure, but we will do our best to help them."

A council spokesman said: : “The work is due to start around the end of the month and the reason we haven’t communicated details about the closure is because we have not yet confirmed an exact start date.

“As soon as we know when work will start, we will of course be informing local residents, businesses and the local school.

"We appreciate that there will be inconvenience but the reason that the work will take so long is because it is a complicated project.

"Statistically April and May are the driest two months of the year, so this is the best time to carry out this type of work as river levels should hopefully be lower.

“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience that the work will cause."