GLASGOW�S showpiece £20million Squinty Bridge could remain shut for up to six months after a crack was found in a second cable.

GLASGOW'S showpiece £20million Squinty Bridge could remain shut for up to six months after a crack was found in a second cable.

Engineers ordered the immediate closure of a section of the River Clyde after the serious fault was discovered during an emergency inspection.

The recently-built Clyde Arc has been closed to traffic for nearly two weeks after one of its cables crashed on to the road surface.

Residents nearby described the moment when the support hit the tarmac as sounding like a "bomb blast".

It was originally thought the crossing, which links Finnieston with Govan, would remain shut for a few weeks but the latest discovery has put a major question mark over all of the bridge's 14 steel ties.

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said the bridge was expected to be closed for up to six months.

He added: "In the course of an inspection a crack was found in another similar connector on a different hanger.

"The council has requested all river traffic below the bridge be suspended."

It is thought there will be little disruption to river traffic as there is minimal use on the affected stretch.

It's understood the crack appeared quickly but it's not clear if it's directly linked to the first cable collapse.

The council is understood to be planning to replace the ties on the structure of the bridge to ensure there are no further problems.

And businesses based near the iconic structure today said the extended closure was a great shame.

Mark Gallagher, general manager of the City Inn, said: "It will affect us. We get a lot of lunchtime and dinner trade from across the water."

James Thomson, 58, is a taxi driver from Dennistoun. He said: "I use it a dozen times a day, so it's bad news.

"It'll put time and cost on to my journey."

Stevie Christie, 50, a painter and decorator from Yoker, said: "It cuts the length of your journey a lot. Having it closed puts about half an hour on to your trip."

The bridge, dubbed the Squinty Bridge because it crosses the river diagonally, is designed so supports can be removed one at a time for repair and maintenance.

The cables vary from 11metres (36ft) to 35m (114ft).

The bridge is made of 1500 tonnes of steel and 2000 cubic metres of reinforced concrete, with a span of 169m (554ft). It is 22m (72ft) wide.

It links Finnieston to Pacific Quay on the South Side and was opened in September 2006 as part of a project to regenerate the banks of the Clyde.

A team from Edmund Nuttall, the firm that built and manages the bridge, is carrying out the investigation.