THOUSANDS of motorists face disruption for at least two months as the main toll bridge in Selby is set to close for repairs.

North Yorkshire County Council has confirmed that “essential repairs” will be made to Barlby Toll Bridge, which will be closed to vehicles and pedestrians for at least eight weeks from Valentine’s Day next year.

A spokesman for the council said: “The work is set to start on February 14 and expected to take eight weeks to complete and the bridge will be closed from that point.

“The steel beams supporting the highway over the years have become corroded and need to be removed, cleaned and repainted, and some beams will be put back in place. These are essential repairs and need to be done. It has been scheduled since the beginning of the year.”

The spokesman could not confirm the cost of the extensive repairs, but said there would also be extra work carried out to try to ensure less water drains through from the road surface in future, thereby preventing the need for similar work.

Pat Dyson, head teacher of nearby Barlby Bridge Primary School, said the school had been contacted by the council about the closure of the bridge, and said the repairs would be inconvenient.

“At the minute we anticipate it is going to be quite disruptive. I understand there are talks in progress to get people from one side of the river to the other without using the bridge.

“As far as attendance goes, it is an unknown quantity, but I think it will have an impact. I think it will be very disruptive from the school’s point of view.

“North Yorkshire County Council has been in touch about it by email, making us aware it is going to happen, but I think they are still discussing how they are going to resolve the problems. We’ll just have to watch this space, I’m sure they will be consulting us further nearer the time.”