The owners of a garden nursery say they are suffering a double whammy of cold winter coupled with the closure of Ireland Bridge, Bingley, which has cut trade by up to 50 per cent.

Woodbank Nurseries, Harden, has suffered since the closure of the bridge in January as well as the legacy of the winter, which has left the development of plants weeks behind schedule.

Mick Walmsley, chairman of the nursery, and the ACW Garden Centre in Canal Road, Bradford, said trade was up in the weeks before the closure, but a week after its closure the garden centre was down by more than 50 per cent.

The nursery, which employs 40 people, now has a battle to find space for the bedding plant season, while many of the herbaceous plants still lay dormant. He said: “I would say it’s the worst affected winter for 20 or 30 years.

“The bedding production is well in progress and it is very space hungry and we haven’t the space.

“The herbaceous plants are the ones that are still dormant, whereas normally by now they would looking very sellable and also the customers would be here and the demand would exist.

“We won’t know for another two or three weeks just what percentage has been lost to the winter but we would expect it to be substantial.”

Mr Walmsley said although he accepted work on the bridge needed to be done, its closure had hurt trade.

Mustafa Ozmen, licensee of the Brown Cow pub at Ireland Bridge, said: “It’s literally taken all my passing trade away and my food trade down by 50 per cent. It will be worth it when all the work on the bridge is done, but while it’s in progress, it’s a case of keeping your head above water.”

Harden Parish Council chairman Michael Andrews said the bridge needed to be closed for the repair works to be completed.

Bradford Council confirmed the bridge is on schedule. It is due to reopen in July.