Sorry to hear this – it's very bad news for all the venues and shops on the East Side.   Also bad news for festival-goers, tourists and locals, who will probably find the West Side uncomfortably overcrowded. And what can be done about it in time for this year's festival?   

IMHO, sweet Fanny Adams - here's why.

Time needed to find an original replacement part for a bridge built 100 years ago = forever. (Forget it)

Time needed to find a reliable engineering firm willing and able to make a suitable spare part from scratch = several months. (If you're lucky).

Time needed to make, deliver and fit the spare part = several weeks. (If you're very lucky.)

Time needed to discover whether the bridge now works properly = several days. (If you're very, very lucky.)

Time needed for litigation with suppliers if it doesn't work = several years. (Good news for the lawyers. Bad news for everyone else.)

Time needed for commissioning, building and opening a new bridge = many, many years. (Good news for Whitby – eventually. Bad news for old folkies like me who may not live long enough to use it.)

But what the heck – Whitby is unique,and I love it. So I'll probably keep on going back there for as long as I'm still above ground and mobile.

Wassail!