A national register of bridges may be created following the death of Pc Bill Barker after he died when Northside Bridge in Workington collapsed.

The father of four was directing motorists away from the crumbling bridge when it crashed into the river Derwent.

Now John Chatterton of the Flood Hazard Research Centre, which was commissioned by the government to study the devastating 2007 floods, says a national register of bridges was "maybe something that ought to be investigated".

He said the register should include details of bridges' structural strength and vulnerability to flooding, enabling authorities to take an early decision on which ones should be closed in extreme weather.

Dr Chatterton said: "In the aftermath of this failing it may be prudent to get some structural engineering surveys of bridges at highest risk.

"We look at the structural integrity of dams and reservoirs. I would suggest there should be a reflection on the structural integrity and the ability of bridges to withstand hydraulic loading of this sort of magnitude."

He said the process of setting up the register should start with the oldest bridges. The Department for Transport said it would discuss the proposal with councils and the Highways Agency.

Cumbria County Council revealed that Northside Bridge had been inspected in July last year as part of its "standard practice" of assessing the state of bridges every two years.

"No identifiable problems were found which would require a further, more detailed structural inspection," the council said.

"Cumbria has suffered an exceptional weather event with more rain falling in the county than ever recorded in a 24-hour period. This led to unprecedented amounts of water flowing at high speeds through rivers and under bridges. This can often lead to structural damage caused by debris in the water."

All 1,800 bridges in Cumbria are now being assessed for "signs of distress".

The Calva Bridge was closed after the main deck sank about a foot and a large crack appeared in the central arch over the River Derwent.

It is about half a mile upstream from the Northside Bridge, where PC Bill Barker was swept to his death as it collapsed on Friday. A smaller foot bridge in between the two, known locally as the Navvies Bridge, has also collapsed.

Calva Bridge carries water pipes and power cables to hundreds of homes.

A spokesman for Cumbria police said there were “severe concerns” over the structural integrity of Cal;va Bridge , adding: “It is reported as being extremely unstable and could potentially collapse at any time.”

Andrew Butler, of Cumbria Highways said that a sheer crack in the central arch had grown to between two and three inches, making the arch a “write-off”, and that the main deck had sunk by more than a foot.

You can look at film shot near the doomed bridge earlier today by clicking on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-uAdlaFt9g

A smaller old railway bridge over the Derwent at Camerton was actually filmed in the process of collapsing and can be viewed by clicking on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iawOOq8pz0.

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