Business owners have been losing customers due to a "disaster" two-year bridge closure amid an £11million replacement project. The 85-year-old Winterstoke Road Bridge in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, closed in November, disrupting the nearby businesses that depend on the 20,000 daily vehicle crossings.

The bridge is expected to reopen by summer 2027, with North Somerset Council saying it would need to be permanently closed without a replacement. The council added talks with businesses are ongoing, but one owner said that the situation was a "disaster" and that they were offered no compensation.

Edward Hunt, owner of Roy Hart Motors near the bridge, told BBC: "The whole process has been so dragged out. It was going to start two years ago, then 18 months ago and then they put up traffic lights for four or five months which was a nightmare. That made access even worse, there were accidents outside the building. It's been a disaster."

Some doubt that the work is going to be completed by the proposed deadline, calling on the council to provide business rates relief.

Carmen Hanif, from the south-west branch of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "The reality is, this work isn't due to be complete until next summer but some of these businesses will hit the wall by then if something isn't done quickly."

A council spokesperson said: "We recognise the concerns the Federation of Small Businesses have raised with us in recent weeks regarding a small number of businesses near Winterstoke Road Bridge, and we met with them to discuss their issues.

"Whilst there are diversion routes in place for traffic on Winterstoke Road Bridge, we have worked hard to maintain access by building a temporary footbridge that can be used by pedestrians to connect communities to local businesses."

They added the new bridge will serve residents for the next 120 years when it reopens.

To reduce financial strain, business owners are calling for customers to visit their stores despite the ongoing closure.