Lowestoft Bascule Bridge re-opens after fault fixed

The Bascule Bridge is raised to allow vessels to pass between Lake Lothing and Lowestoft's outer harbour

A moveable bridge linking the north and south of Lowestoft has re-opened after a technical fault was repaired.

The Bascule Bridge was due to open at 06:00 GMT after a planned overnight closure but police said it was "stuck".

About 13,600 road vehicles use the crossing, which links the A47 and A12, every day and its closure caused congestion in the town centre.

Highways England blamed unforeseen circumstances for delaying the bridge's repair but it re-opened at about 14:45.

A spokesman said it would now not be closing to traffic at 20:00 for scheduled maintenance and overnight closures, due to finish on 24 November, would resume on Friday night.

A lifting mechanism enables the road bridge to open to allow vessels in and out of the town's inner harbour, Lake Lothing and Oulton Broad.

It has suffered technical problems in the past and repairs costing £230,000 were carried out to the lifting mechanism last year.

In June the bridge had to be closed northbound for emergency repairs to a sinkhole, causing "horrendous" traffic.

There are plans to build a third bridge over Lake Lothing in Lowestoft and work was expected to begin in 2019 or 2020.

The owner of a nearby barber shop said: "It's very bad for my business. I've been here for five hours and done just one haircut.

"The customer said it took him two hours to drive from Norwich to Lowestoft."

The bridge links the A47 and A12, and is used by about 13,600 road vehicles each day