00:00Two vertical lifts, at the time pedestrian and cyclist tunnels, have been taken out of service after a survey found
00:07significant safety and operational defects.
00:10Repairs are expected to take several weeks and cost £87,000.
00:15The inclined lifts are the only access to the underwater crossing.
00:19They will also be unavailable for servicing on October 13th, 14th, 28th and 21st, with a shuttle bus running between
00:28Jarrow and Howden from 8 o'clock until 4 o'clock.
00:32Over 20,000 people use the tunnels each month.
00:36The latest problems follow a refurbishment which ended in November 2024, costing £8.2 million.
