STRUCTURAL engineers visited Tenbury this afternoon to assess the historic Teme Bridge.

There had been fears that the force of the swollen river had made the listed structure unstable. However, no damage was found to have been caused and the bridge was reopened at 3pm.

Worcestershire County Council spokesman Sanina Kaur said: "Engineers went out to inspect the bridge following concerns that the flooding had affected the structure. However, they found no evidence of damage and reopened the bridge following their inspection."

The original bridge dates back to the 14th Century, although the southern three arches were re-built in the 18th Century. In October 2005 and inspection of the bridge identified problems with the bridge, notably erosion of masonry, cracking and displacements of stonework, water penetration of the reinforced concrete extensions, and spalling of the concrete.

A programme of repairs is planned over the next two years. However, town councillor Margaret Austin said she believed this week's flooding had exacerbated the situation at the bridge.

"In my opinion by looking at the crack in the bridge, it has got worse," she said. "But they knew about these problems 12 months ago."