Millennium Bridge closes for work

The 320m-long Millennium Bridge opened in June 2000

Millennium Bridge over the River Thames in central London has been closed to pedestrians for a routine inspection.

The bridge will be out of bounds for people between 1000 BST and 1600 BST until 24 October, the City of London Corporation said.

The deck will be lifted to inspect all parts of the structure.

Specialist rope access teams and engineers will also climb out on the towers, cables and bridge piers to inspect the bridge.

The bridge will also undergo an electrical inspection and will be cleaned as part of the maintenance work which takes place every two years.

The £18m Millennium Bridge was opened on 10 June 2000 and is the first new crossing over the river in the city in more than 100 years.

The 320m-long (1,050ft) structure was designed by the architect Sir Norman Foster with sculptor Sir Anthony Caro.