Taxi drivers refuse to drive near A52 Clifton Bridge

Taxi drivers in Nottingham say they are refusing to drive near the A52 Clifton Bridge because repair work is causing too much congestion.

Kevin Clarke, owner of taxi firm NG11 Cars, says that some of his drivers are refusing to come out and work.

He says that some children that are being collected from school are not arriving home until as late as 7pm.

Highways England says it's continuing to do everything it can to get more lanes open as quickly and as safely as possible.

Investigations and calculations into the repair work took longer than first anticipated as a significant amount of concrete had to be removed first.

Catherine Brookes, regional director for Highways England says they will continue to prioritise the safety of motorists and staff who are working on the bridge.

Unseen to passing motorists, video footage released by Highways England last week shows the confined space that specialists are working in underneath the bridge.

At present, engineers are working in hollow 'boxes' underneath the road to carry out further checks of damaged steel and concrete.

With no light and humidity in this part of the bridge the task is proving difficult.

The conditions the team are faced with are those similar to working in a deep mine.

Highways England have a fully equipped, trained and competent mines rescue team on-site ready to assist in the unlikely event of an incident.

Despite repair work being underway, motorists can expect limited lanes to be running in the eastbound direction for the remainder of this year.

Highways England regional director, Catherine Brookes, said: "We know that nobody likes roadworks and we'd like to reassure people that we're aiming to get additional lanes back open as soon as we can.

"It's really important that we don't cause any further damage to the road or the structure in that process and we need to be methodical to avoid more disruptive roadworks in the future.

"We'd once again like to say a huge thank you to the people of Nottingham for their continued understanding while we do this vital repair work."