BROTHERS Benjamin and William Summersgill are facing a mile-long detour to reach their school bus after part of the historic Tarr Steps clapper bridge was washed away just months after it was rebuilt.

Benjamin, ten, and William, eight, (pictured) are usually able to hop across the bridge over the River Barle to reach the bus to take them to Dulverton Middle School and All Saints First School respectively.

But the bridge was damaged by debris brought downstream during last week's storm, meaning the boys have to go to nearby Hawkridge as the bus is unable to drive down the steep lane to reach their home.

The bridge was only reopened in February this year after Somerset County Council spent £10,000 repairing the ancient monument when it was badly damaged by floodwater last December.

A 'tree protection boom' - a series of steel wires strung across the river - was also torn down during the floods and was replaced earlier this year.

A spokesman for the county council said only a small section of the bridge was damaged by last week's storm and said that was largely due to the replaced debris trap further upstream.

The spokesman said: "The damage this time was restricted to a small area of the bridge itself, leaving most of the structure untouched.

"This is due in part to the boom device placed upstream which appears to have slowed the flow of debris crashing into the bridge and limited the damage.

"We are now assessing the site and will look to retrieve the missing parts and repair the bridge as soon as possible, subject to weather conditions and securing the various consents necessary due to the structure's historic importance."

The spokesman said the recent storms had caused considerable damage across the county and Tarr Steps tended to be "at risk" during severe weather.

"Last week's storm was one of the worst in decades," the spokesman added.