The pledge to build a long-awaited third crossing for Lowestoft is safe despite David Cameron's resignation, community leaders have insisted.

After decades of calls from residents, the prime minister finally broke the deadlock on a visit to Lowestoft during last year's general election campaign by promising a new crossing over Lake Lothing would be built by 2020.

The government followed through on its promise to provide the £70million government funding needed in this year's Budget so detailed design work could start on a high-level bridge.

But Mr Cameron's resignation last Friday (June 24) after losing the crucial EU vote means the man who promised the project won't be around to ensure it is delivered by the deadline in four years' time.

However Waveney MP Peter Aldous said: 'I think the decisions have been made and work has started on this project. To my mind there's no precedent for undoing such decisions and I'm not expecting something like that to happen.

'What my main role is in the coming months is working with the county council to make sure the bridge opens as soon as possible.'

James Reeder, chairman of the Lowestoft and Waveney Chamber of Commerce, said: 'I'm confident it's in the bag.' However he said it was fortunate the town had got the £70million committed by the government in this year's Budget, shortly before the EU referendum campaign.

'If we were trying to start it now, I think it would be a real, real problem,' he said. 'However I think we're far enough down the road.'

What do you think? Write, giving your full contact details, to: Journal Postbox, 147 London Road North, Lowestoft NR32 1NB or email andrew.papworth@archant.co.uk

With hindsight it was vitally important that this approval was obtained in the Budget and much credit for this should go to those Waveney residents who signed the Petition that I presented in the House of Commons earlier this year. I can envisage that funding for such projects after last week's Referendum decision to leave the EU could be more difficult to obtain in the next 2 to 3 years.