A landlord fears he will be put out of business by the closure of a footbridge leading to his riverside pub.

Henry Dean, who runs the Waterman's Arms, Osney Island, Oxford, is worried that he may go under -- even though the Environment Agency plans to reopen a footbridge which links Osney Mead Industrial estate with the pub earlier than origin- ally planned.

The agency closed the footpath in September for the work, costing about £350,000.

It was expected to be completed by mid-December but now, although the work will go on over the Christmas period until January, the bridge could be open by the end of this month.

A spokesman for the agency said: "We are hoping that it will be earlier than we said, but who knows what the weather will throw at us?"

People working on the industrial estate who used to have lunch at the Waterman's Arms have stopped going to the pub since the towpath footpath shut, said Mr Dean.

He welcomed the news that his regulars could be returning sooner than he thought, but said it did not change the fact that the last two months had hit him hard.

"I'm having a very bad time, business is suffering -- hardly anybody comes in here any more," he said.

"If I don't have a good Christmas it is going to be difficult. It is all hand to mouth here, we're only just surviving. It's been like that for a year, because it's so isolated down here."

The pub has sent promotional flyers to businesses on the estate in an effort to drum up trade.

Mr Dean is offering a lunchtime special of a sandwich or baguette and a soft drink for £3.

He said he would be writing to the Environment Agency to find out if he could claim any compensation.