Merseylink has confirmed that damage to the bridge was identified last Thursday, January 22 at the Northern expansion joint.

A spokesperson said: “The damage was located in Lane 1 for Liverpool bound traffic.

“Emergency lane closures were installed to prioritise the safety of road users and the damaged piece of the expansion joint panel was removed.”

The bridge was then inspected by a specialist contractor last Friday morning and it was recommended that lane closures stay in place until ‘the affected panel was replaced’.

This caused expected delays along the route for commuters over the weekend.

Specialist resources required to replace the panel were transferred to the location on the bridge last night, Monday, and replacement work was then completed overnight.

A Mersey Gateway spokesperson added: “Further overnight works will continue for the rest of week as part of a programme of planned preventative maintenance of the bridge’s expansion joints.

“Merseylink wishes to apologise for any inconvenience to the public resulting from this matter.”