THE team behind the restoration of Tadcaster Bridge after it was partially destroyed by flooding has won a prestigious engineering award.

The emergency repairs, carried out by Balfour Beatty on behalf of North Yorkshire County Council, were praised by judges at the Institution of Civil Engineers Yorkshire and Humber prizegiving.

Following devastating flooding in December 2015 the bridge collapsed, splitting the town in two.

Repairs included installing a footbridge before restoration work began.

The project won the Smeaton Award at the ceremony.

Mark Calvert, regional chair of the institution, said: “Flooding in this country can present one of the biggest challenges for civil engineers, and this project was no exception. The Tadcaster Bridge Emergency Works were carried out not just to repair damage, but also to bring together the community, who benefit from the bridge every day.”