Whitby Swing Bridge breaks down leaving vehicles stranded

Whitby Swing Bridge has broken down and is not operational today (July 16), Scarborough Council has confirmed.
Whitby Swing Bridge.Whitby Swing Bridge.
Whitby Swing Bridge.

The Swing Bridge suffered a breakdown earlier this morning and cannot now be used by vehicles, having since reopened to pedestrians only.

A replacement bus will be provided to take visitors across the River Esk.

Engineers are on site to assess the problem.

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A spokesperson for North Yorkshire County Council said: "We have reopened the bridge to pedestrians but we are keeping it closed to road traffic.

"There will be numerous test swings prior to the road being open to road traffic."

It is not yet known when the bridge will reopen.

The breakdown comes just weeks after a signage error caused "chaos" when the bridge was mistakenly left open during a traffic-free weekend.

Since Easter, vehicles have been prohibited from using the town’s Swing Bridge between 10.30am and 4pm on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays as part of a pedestrianisation trial taking place in 2021.

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The trial closure of the historic Swing Bridge is hoped to reduce traffic congestion in the popular seaside town, where the bridge is the most convenient way to cross from the west side over to the east.