Village businesses could 'never recover' if four months of work to its central bridge go ahead, it is feared.

Businesses in Finchingfield face being cut off for four months if £380,000 works to rebuild the bridge in Bridge Street are pushed through by Essex County Council, from July next year.

Villagers packed out St John the Baptist church, which holds 400, for the meeting called by Finchingfield Parish Council on November 17 to object against the plans.

They demanded a temporary bridge be built across Finchingfield pond to avoid a 15 mile diversion from one side of the pond to the other.

Eddie Johnson, Essex County Council cabinet member for Highways Delivery, was held to account by hundreds of residents and has pledged to consider a temporary bridge, despite originally saying the council could not afford it.

Graham Tobell, chairman of Finchingfield Parish Council, warned businesses like the Post Office and car garages would not survive the works.

Speaking after the meeting, he said: "If Highways close the bridge for four months with a diversion, Finchingfield will not be the same again.

"If the road is closed, if there’s a diversion, then not only will some of these businesses close with certainty, we could lose businesses permanently.

"It will bad for people that own them and they won’t come back.

"They have made decisions without all the facts."

Mr Tobell warned a recent accident where a truck hit the bridge and left it closed for repairs for a week gave villagers a taste of the disruption the works would cause.

He said: "About three weeks ago, the bridge closed for a week while safety checks were done after a crash there.

"We got a taste of what it’s like not to have the bridge and it was a disaster for a week.

"Lorries were using back roads and coming off into ditches and there were a few instances of road rage."

He added: "People in the audience were all saying a temporary bridge was absolutely essential.

"They certainly got the message across - you don’t simply walk into Finchingfield and tell people what’s what."

An Essex Highways spokesman said: "We have to close the bridge in Bridge Street, Finchingfield, as it is necessary to carry out vital strengthening and maintenance work.

"Following on from the public meeting held on the 17 November, we are currently reviewing the feedback from the local community including the request for a temporary structure and we will provide more information when all the options have been considered.

"The work on the bridge is scheduled to start in July 2016 and is anticipated to take about four months to complete subject to weather and unforeseen circumstances."