£117m Renfrew Bridge that opened only LAST YEAR is to close for months after Storm Boelo floods wreck its electrics

Renfrewshire Council says the £117m crossing will remain shut to road traffic for "a number of months" after a tidal surge on Saturday pushed the Clyde to 6.7m at Renfrew, flooding one of the two plant rooms that keep the bridge operational and destroying the electronic systems controlling its hydraulics. The closure severs a key route to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and means the swing bridge must remain open to river traffic while the extent of repairs is established.

The bridge debuted in May 2025 as the Clyde's first opening road bridge, at a construction cost of £117m.

Storm Boelo also claimed the life of a 60-year-old man struck by a falling tree in Dumfries and Galloway, and 620 homes across Scotland are still without power.

Renfrewshire Council was already facing criticism this week over its failure to deploy flood barriers at the weekend, which left local shops and businesses underwater.