PEOPLE living near Glasgow's Squinty Bridge heard a "massive explosion" as a support cable snapped and crashed onto the roadway.

The £20million Clyde Arc bridge was dramatically closed today after the incident just before midnight.

The landmark is now at the centre of a major safety probe - and it could stay closed for several weeks.

I honestly thought a bomb had gone off'

Clockwise from top left: Lindsey Matthews, Ian Irving, Samantha Dooey and Andrew Kay PEOPLE near the bridge today told of their shock over the incident. City Inn Hotel guest Lindsey Matthews, 24, from London, was in her third-floor room when she heard a bang and felt the building shake. Personal Assistant Lindsey said: "I thought a bomb had gone off as it was so loud. I was quite close to the window and the next thing I knew there was a loud noise and the whole place shook. "Then I saw something lying in the road but cars were still zooming across. "I called the police and then the whole place was cordoned off. It was pretty frightening." Resident Ian Irving, 60, is a frequent bridge user. He said: "Maybe it's something simple such as the structure being weakened in last week's storms." Samantha Dooey, 22, who works as a sub-title writer for STV, said: "I always use the bridge. "In high winds it can sometimes make a noise but it's a little worrying this has happened. I hope it's fully checked out." Student Andrew Kay, 24, said: "I had no idea what had happened - then I saw the police guarding it. "My sister drives over it all the time. Next time I cross I will be looking up."

Following a meeting between Glasgow City Council and the bridge contractors and design team today, it was decided to keep the bridge closed until a full investigation is carried out.

John Colvin, night manager at the nearby City Inn Hotel, told how he and other staff heard the giant cable snap and fall last night.

Mr Colvin said: "It was a scary sound, like a bomb going off.

"We felt the vibrations of it. We looked out and someone said one of the supports had gone on the bridge and the whole thing was shaking."

Mr Colvin said there were no cars or pedestrians on the bridge when the cable snapped and fell from the 70ft arc, landing across two lanes of the four-lane bridge.

The broken cable also badly damaged safety fencing at the side of a footpath across the bridge.

A resident on the Kinning Park side of the bridge said: "I heard what I thought was an explosion or a crash and guessed someone had driven into one of the concrete pillars.

"But it was only in daylight that I could see one of the giant struts had collapsed onto the carriageway.

"I hate to think what could have happened if someone had been hit."

Emergency services rushed to the bridge and today police were standing guard at both entrances, which have been fenced off. Fire crews were also on the scene, while traffic diversions were put in place.

The bridge, which spans 169metres over the River Clyde, won the 2007 Saltire Award for Civil Engineering just two months ago.

It opened in September 2006 and links Finnieston to Pacific Quay on the South Side.

Robert Booth, the council's executive director of Land and Environmental Services, said temporary traffic diversions were in place to minimise traffic disruption following last night's incident.

Mr Booth said: "One of the 14 bridge supports has failed but we don't believe the integrity of the bridge is affected.

"Clyde Arc is designed to allow for the removal of one of the bridge supports at a time for repair and maintenance without affecting its operation.

"However, our number one priority is public safety and until we are completely satisfied the bridge is safe to use, it will remain closed.

"The bridge is still under guarantee by the main contractor, who will report back to the council once they have established the cause following their investigations and independent testing of the broken part."

Representatives of Edmund Nuttall Ltd, the Kilsyth-based civil engineering firm that built the bridge, carried out an inspection of the bridge today. A city council spokeswoman said: "A visual inspection of the site has been carried out by the main contractors.

"They have gone away to look at their findings.

"The failed cable will now go for testing within the next couple of days. This is just the very early stages of the investigation."

Hundreds of drivers a day use the bridge, including staff in the TV industry, with both STV and the BBC headquarters now based along the Clyde.

The bridge closure has a knock-on effect for other routes, including the busy Kingston Bridge on the M8.

Police said they received a call late last night and immediately sent officers to the scene.

Glasgow MSP Bob Doris said: "The council has assured me the bridge is still under a maintenance agreement with the contractors.

"That being so, Glasgow council taxpayers shouldn't have to pay a penny extra for a bridge that cost £20m only a few years ago."

Meanwhile, engineers were working on Glasgow's Victoria Road today to repair a carriageway damaged by a burst water main. Hundreds of homes were without water for most of Saturday after the main fractured.

TIMESFILE:

THE Squinty Bridge is back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons and not for the first time.

Controversy has dogged the first road bridge to be built over the Clyde for more than three decades.

Even before the bridge was built it was causing problems for politicians, pedestrians and motorists.

NOVEMBER, 2002: Councillors defy bitter opposition to approve the construction of the bridge which then had a modest price tag of £8million.

SEPTEMBER, 2003: Angry charity worker William Smith claims the bridge will trigger major flooding for people with riverside homes and launches a one-man legal challenge at the Court of Session.

OCTOBER, 2004: His campaign is boosted when he is granted legal aid but the court rules against him and Mr Smith is forced to ditch his fight but not before delaying building work for more than a year.

MARCH, 2005: A council report reveals that construction costs have more than doubled in a year which has led to a revised price tag of £20.3m. Officials blame a combination of delays and unforeseen costs.

OCTOBER, 2005: Work on what's been dubbed the Squinty Bridge finally begins with project leaders confidently predicting it will open to traffic by July the following year.

FEBRUARY, 2006: Given the working title of the Finnieston Bridge, the final piece of concrete was laid when the main roadway - stretching 140 metres - was completed. Only a supporting arch remains to be built and the road surface laid.

APRIL 2006: The bridge - which links Finnieston on the north bank and the media village at Pacific Quay on the south bank - looked spectacular when huge cranes lowered a landmark 32m high arch into place.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2006: The bridge is officially opened. The official name is revealed as the Clyde Arc.