A BRIDGE near Troutbeck will have to wait for repairs as Cumbria County Council hunt for the landowner.

Until then, Bridge Lane will remain closed, the public body has said.

A spokesman said: "Bridge Lane is to remain closed for the foreseeable future as it is not possible to re-open the road due to the condition of the structure (wall). The structure is deemed to be “non-monitorable” due to the potential mode of failure – in other words there could be a sudden, catastrophic failure that cannot be mitigated by monitoring of the site.

"Initial enquiries to identify the landowner for the wall and the unregistered land above have so far not been successful, although CCC do thank people for leads which we are following up. Our CCC structures team are now looking to employ a consultant/contractor to look into the engineering options for the site as a two stage design and build contract.

"The options are expected to involve taking down the existing wall, cutting out the active slope above and constructing an engineered retaining wall for the land above, although there may be different construction methods that can be considered within this design phase.

"The two stage D&B contract will have a break point after design and before construction to enable funding to be confirmed. This design work is being progressed on a “without prejudice” basis while we still try to establish the landowner responsible for this wall and land above.

"Unfortunately, this road is going to be closed for many months to enable this dangerous structure to be replaced."