Work to repair a 103-year-old bridge on Clacton seafront will begin soon after plans were agreed by Tendring District Council’s cabinet.

A small part of the Venetian Bridge, which crosses Pier Gap, showed signs of distress in July 2014 and investigations have taken place since to determine the full extent of the corrosion.

Engineering consultants revealed the top deck of the bridge was no longer waterproof and had resulted in moisture and corrosive salts getting into the structure over a long period of time and corroding the reinforcements.

A sum of £355,000 has been made available to extend the life of the iconic bridge.

Mick Skeels, district councillor for tourism, said he was pleased the decision to repair the bridge had been made.

He said: “It took some time to come up with the best way forward and a number of options have been considered along the way.

“The cost for removing the bridge and being left with nothing was in itself thought to be nearly as much and we’d still need to maintain the stability of the embankments currently provided by the bridge – the likely cost of this was difficult to determine without taking down the bridge.

“The repairs will mean the life of the bridge is extended far into the future and is retained as an iconic focal point for visitors to the area.”