Landmark 'Shakin Brig' suspension bridge in Edzell badly damaged by Storm Babet

A landmark pedestrian suspension bridge in the Angus village of Edzell has been badly damaged by Storm Babet.

The bridge, which was built around 1900, is mainly constructed of wood, with steel wires holding it in place.

It is colloquially known by locals as the ‘Shakin Brig’ (shaking bridge) due to the fact that it wobbles and shakes as people cross the River North Esk.

Photographs taken on Friday show the bridge has been badly damaged, with some of the wood and steel wire panelling broken off by the high winds and “unprecedented” flooding that has affected much of Angus.

Local residents and tourists access the bridge via a narrow lane called the Gassie Brae. It is a well-known landmark in the area, with many people swimming and paddling in the river below during the summer months.

Rescue operations are under way in the nearby town of Brechin after flood defences were breached in the early hours of Friday morning, leading to hundreds of homes being surrounded by water.

The local council has appealed for donations of warm clothes after 40 people turned up to rest centres while “soaked”.

Parts of Brechin are now only accessible by boat and the area is said to be in a “serious emergency”.

Two people have died as a result of the storm. Police confirmed that a falling tree hit a van near Forfar in Angus on Thursday, killing the 56-year-old driver.

Meanwhile, the body of a 57-year-old woman who was swept into a swollen river was also recovered on Thursday evening.

There is also an ongoing helicopter search in Aberdeenshire following a report of a man trapped in a vehicle in floodwater.