Regulars at a canalside pub in west Oxford will have to take a detour to get a pint at their local following the closure of a footbridge for vital repairs.

The bridge, linking the Osney Mead industrial estate and the towpath at Osney lock, is closing on Thursday, September 1, although the lock will remain in use.

The Environment Agency is carrying out a £350,000 repair programme which will not be completed until mid-December.

Henry Dean, licensee of The Waterman's Arms pub in South Street, which is just a few hundred yards from the bridge, said he was stunned by news of the closure.

"This is a real knockout blow for me -- it comes at just the wrong time of year and I reckon it will hit my takings by about 50 per cent," said Mr Dean, licensee for the past two years.

He added: "The boating season is more or less finished by September and then I rely heavily on walkers coming along the towpath.

"Not all of them will be bothered to walk through the Osney Mead estate and back round again.

"I'll miss trade from the trading estate. If they can't be bothered to walk round for a pint then they should get on their bikes!"

Environment Agency project manager Valerie Stephens said a structural survey revealed that major repair work was needed or the bridge would have to close permanently in two years' time.

She said staff would be replacing the north span of the bridge and also repairing the south span.

Ms Stephens added: "People working on the Osney Mead industrial estate and those people walking the towpath from Oxford will have to take a detour through the estate and along Ferry Hinksey Road, before they reach Botley Road.

"We apologise for the inconvenience but our structural survey revealed that the work needed to be done to avoid the bridge being closed permanently for safety reasons.

"The bridge is part of a busy route for pedestrians so obviously we want to keep it open."

The replacement section of the bridge has already been constructed and is waiting to be installed on the nearby Environment Agency wharf, which is also being repaired.

The Environment Agency has applied for a temporary footpath closure, and diversions will be signposted.

Linda Barker, an accountant who works on the estate, said: "It's a shame, but it's a necessary evil. I'll have to drive into town now at lunchtime instead of walking as it would mean an extra ten-minute walk otherwise."

The latest closure follows others on sections of the towpath between Osney Lock and Folly Bridge last year, for repairs to deteriorating sections.