PLANS to reopen a bridge near York following a £900,000 revamp have been delayed - after tests showed the concrete used was ‘below spec.’

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has apologised for the technical problems which have arisen during structural and road safety works at Hagg Bridge in Sutton Upon Derwent.

A spokesman said it had been hoped the Grade Two listed road bridge on the B1228 between Sutton and Melbourne would re-open to traffic in early October but it was not now known when this would happen.

He said the hitch meant motorists must continue to go on a diversion via Sutton upon Derwent, Sandhill Lane, The Street, Sutton Lane and the A1079 York Road, Back Lane, Allerthorpe and Melbourne.

He said the bridge, which goes over the Pocklington Canal and The Beck, had been closed to traffic since March 23 to enable vital maintenance work.

“This work includes the construction of a reinforced concrete slab, bespoke vehicle restraint barriers, masonry repairs and the addition of permanent traffic signals to increase the safety of road users on the narrow stretch of carriageway,” he said.

"It has been discovered by our routine testing schedule that the concrete that the contractor has used to construct the concrete slabs is below the specification detailed in the contract.

“The council and the contractor are now working on a solution to this technical problem.

“Further laboratory testing and analysis is being carried out to assess exactly how durable the concrete is. This information will then be used by engineers to design a method that will mitigate the below specification concrete. This may involve the use of products that increase the durability of the concrete.

“At this stage we are unable to give a date for the reopening until the analysis and design work are completed, but we hope to issue an update soon.”

He said any extra costs would be met by the contractor and the council was working as quickly as possible to find a solution to allow it to reopen the bridge.