WORK to replace a footbridge in Kendal that was damaged during Storm Desmond is due to begin by the end of September.

Cumbria County Council has said the bridge linking New Road with Gooseholme was damaged beyond repair, meaning an entirely new structure is needed.

The council has said the new bridge will be a 'better asset' to the town, with designs currently being drawn up for a much wider structure that will be able to facilitate cyclists and wheelchair users.

The bridge was one of more than 380 to sustain damage in the floods of December 2015, and was incorporated into the local authority's three-year Infrastructure Repair Programme.

A spokesman for CCC said it was not known how long the work to install the bridge would take, given the unknown elements contractors would experience once they access the River Kent.

The original bridge, which is currently fenced off to pedestrians, was closed last year, several months after Storm Desmond.