THE Environment Secretary has called Worcester's Carrington Bridge a "critical" piece of infrastructure - sparking fresh hope the Government will cough up the cash to get it dualled.

Worcester MP Robin Walker has told MPs in the Commons that one way to make Worcestershire more resilient to floods is to improve the congested A4440 bridge.

He has also pointed to the implications of the main Worcester Bride being destroyed in a future flood, saying it is "not inconceivable", given what happened to North Yorkshire's 300-year-old Tadcaster Bridge last month.

Liz Truss, who holds the environment brief for David Cameron, responded by saying the current review into flood defences will include examining the roads network in flood-hit areas.

When Worcester was hit by floods in February 2014 the main city bridge had to close, heaping more pressure on the A4440 Carrington Bridge.

Worcestershire County Council has submitted a business plan to dual the link, but it needs around £70 million of funding to get off the ground.

Mr Walker is now directly linking the bridge campaign to Worcester's hopes of becoming more resistant to floods.

He has also raised concern over December's destruction of the 300-year-old Tadcaster Bridge, in North Yorkshire, saying Worcester suffering the same fate doesn't bear thinking about.

Speaking in parliament, he said: "As (Mrs Truss) knows, Worcester is familiar with flooding - she has visited our flood defences.

"I welcome the additional investment that she's supported in our area and I particularly welcome the national flood resilience review and the inclusion of 'transport resilience' within it.

"In Worcester we are seeing the raising of new defences to try to improve the resilience of the city this year.

"Can she ensure the Department for Transport is linked in with that review so it can take into account the value of capital bids, such as the case for dualling the Carrington bridge for improving flood resilience?"

Mrs Truss told the Commons the input of Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, who visited Carrington Bridge last April to see it for himself, is "very much linked in" to the floods review.

"There are all kinds of critical infrastructure that we need to ensure are covered," she said.

After the debate Mr Walker said: "Tadcaster Bridge was over 300 years old and it was destroyed by the floods.

"When we had the 2014 floods in Worcester the river levels had risen right up, and if it went higher engineers did not know what would have happened.

"It's not absolutely inconceivable that if we had the same sort of record flooding it could be swept away - can you imagine that in a city of 100,000 people.

"Our flood defences and flood plain is doing a great job but we need Carrington Bridge dualled."