WORK is due to start on restoring the metalwork of a bridge well-known to generations of walkers in Craven.

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority staff, contractors and volunteers are to focus on repairing the lattice work of the suspension footbridge at Hebden from mid-September. It will be closed to pedestrians for about ten days and alternative routes will be in operation.

Phil Richards, the national park authority’s area ranger for Wharfedale and Littondale, said: “The bridge is unique in its design and it is an important crossing on the River Wharfe, as well as being part of the Dales Way footpath.

"Its construction in the 1880s allowed people from Hebden, Thorpe and Burnsall access between the villages, which was not always possible before because the nearby stepping stones would frequently be submerged under floodwater.

“Last year, the timber decking boards and handrails were replaced and these latest repairs are expected to take about ten days. For reasons of public safety, the bridge will closed for that period, although alternative routes for pedestrians will be provided.”