A MULTI-MILLION pound repair scheme for a damaged bridge on the River Wharfe has been approved.

But the work comes at a cost, with an Otley scheme losing out on funding as a direct result of the repair bill.

Linton Bridge near Wetherby, which connects Linton and Collingham, has been closed since being seriously damaged in the 2015 Boxing Day floods.

Leeds City Council's executive board has agreed to a £4.5 million repair project, which will begin in July and is expected to be completed by the summer of 2017.

The decision means that, due to budget limitations, some other flood-related repairs – including the resurfacing of Back Bridge Avenue in Otley – will be shelved or even scrapped altogether.

A report presented to senior councillors last week explained the funding needed for the Linton Bridge works would have an impact on the council's ability to tackle other projects.

It added the Otley scheme, estimated to cost £100,000, is one of those that "may have to wait a considerable time or... may not be completed at all".

Otley and Yeadon ward councillors have slammed that as "unacceptable" and are vowing to lobby to get the road resurfaced.