Dog walkers have found their regular route through a Carlisle park cut in two, after safety fears forced the closure of a suspension bridge.

Highways officials have closed the Rickerby Park Memorial Bridge, across the River Eden, to carry out urgent repairs after a routine inspection identified by engineers identified structural problems.

The bridge is part of a key route between the Warwick Road area of the city and Stanwix and also popular with dog walkers.

Lynne Caryl, 71, from Warwick Road, said: “I was down here yesterday and there was no indication that the bridge was due to be closed.

“It will affect a lot of the art college students. Two used to lodge with me and this has always been an important route up to the Brampton Road campus. They're going to have to go to the Swifts and walk that way.

“It's a fairly important route.”

Dog walker Malcolm Robinson, 60, from Denton Holme, said he regularly take his Dog de Bordeaux Levi for walks through Rickerby Park, usually accessing it via the suspension bridge.

He said: “I'm going to have to go right round and get into the park via the road that comes off Brampton Road. I take the dog for walks every day. You can't really go too far on this since of the bridge.

“So I'll have to go round.”

A notice placed at the entrance to the bridge, which was closed off at the weekend, points out that the closure notice will not be left in force for an more than five days, starting on Friday.

Officials have not specified in what way the bridge, which links the park with Stoneyholme Golf Course, is considered damaged. The message points out that the river can be crossed at Eden Bridge.

In a short statement issued last week, Cumbria County Council apologised for the inconvenience that the closure would cause.

The statement added: “This is a matter of public safety.

"Further works to understand the issue and identify plans for repair are scheduled early next week." As well as being popular with dog walkers, the bridge is also regularly used by joggers and families.