EAST Lancashire has been dealt a devastating tourism blow after a vital railway bridge was washed away.

Trains will no longer be able to run between the picturesque Rawtenstall and Ramsbottom stations after torrential rain caused the River Irwell to burst its banks.

The water effectively washed away Lower Ashenbottom Bridge, a viaduct over the Irwell above Irwell Vale, causing £250,000 worth of damage. Signals and gates at Ramsbottom station were also damaged in the flooding, last Friday.

The line is run by East Lancashire Light Railway Company and director Trevor Jones said the line will not run until the bridge is repaired.

"It is devastating news for the railway which was looking forward to finally completing the link with Heywood and taking Rossendale back on to the national network.

"We were hoping to put Rawtenstall back as a destination on the boards of the London train stations -- now we will only be able to run as far as Irwell Vale for several months."

The decision to close the Ramsbottom to Rawtenstall line was taken after a test train was run to check how bad the damage was, but engineers said it was too dangerous to run the service.

Mr Jones said: "A large tree had been brought down and it has lodged near to the parapet causing damage. When they looked they discovered the foundations were not there.

"I reckon we are talking at least £250,000 to repair and so we are going to have to start to apply for grants to try to get the work completed.

"It will be a very very long job to repair the track and it is a tragedy for the railway."

There was a special dining train on the line when the rains came down, but fortunately it managed to make it safely back into Bury.

The summer's special excursions including themed weekends and the popular Teddy Bear's Picnic will now only be held in Ramsbottom and at Nuttall Park, children with bears got to travel free.

President of Rawtenstall Chamber of Commerce Debbie Greenwood said: "It is devastating for everybody concerned, I just hope they are able to get the funds to be able to repair the damage.

"It is going to be a disappointment for a tremendous amount of people who use the railway. It could also have a knock-on effect on visitors coming from the railway and into the town centre and on the towns of Ramsbottom and Bury."

The bridge was repaired by the enthusiasts in the mid-1980s in readiness for the line opening to Rawtenstall.

Although the railway can still operate trains to Irwell Vale the line is single track and with no facility for turning the engine round and so any trains going to the halt will have to have an engine either side to be able to return.

Mr Jones said: "Obviously our revenue is going to be affected because a lot of people now regularly use the train from Rawtenstall."