A total of £5.5 million has been pledged by the Government to repair a historic bridge in West Yorkshire.

Ministerial Flood Recovery Envoy for Yorkshire, Robert Goodwill, announced the funding to rebuild Elland Bridge in Calderdale yesterday, 17 January.

The listed structure was badly damaged by recent bad weather and floods.

It is understood £5m will be used to fund the restoration of Elland Bridge, while an additional £500,000 will go towards building a temporary interim footbridge.

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Mr Goodwill said: "I am pleased to announce that we are providing a further £5.5 million to restore this important crossing and construct the temporary footbridge. This is an important step in keeping the recovery effort on track in Yorkshire and illustrates how the government is standing shoulder to shoulder with the hard working Elland community as they recover from the floods.

Calderdale Council Leader Tim Swift added: "The Boxing Day floods have had a devastating impact on homes and businesses across Calderdale. I welcome this announcement as it allows us to replace the damaged bridge at Elland given its strategic importance to the local community, for local businesses and for tourism."

The government has invested nearly £200m in recovery since Storm Eva and Storm Desmond affected communities over the Christmas period.

(LM/MH)