BRIDGE work which was due to start later this month in Horton-in-Ribblesdale resulting in total closure for a month has been put on hold following concerns from residents.

The county council's Highways department had said it was closing Gray Bridge, a grade two listed structure, between February 28 and March 25 for structural repairs.

The closure would cause long diversions for those living north of the bridge who need to access Settle and beyond, however the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority was providing parking spaces in the car park for these residents while the work was on going.

Since then, complaints had been made to the council and a rethink has been made over the timing of the work.

County councillor Councillor David Staveley said: “Following representations from numerous residents around the timing of the works to Gray Bridge and in consultation with our various stakeholders, we are proposing to reschedule the repairs for October. Unfortunately our initial consultation didn’t have the reach we anticipated and recent representations from within the farming community made it clear the closure would cause a high level of disruption during lambing season.

“We notified residents of the proposed start date many weeks in advance so changes could be made if necessary and must apologise for any confusion caused. Clearly the maintenance programme on the bridge is always going to impact the local community, but we have sought to mitigate this. We would like to thank the residents for their continued patience and input.”

Details of the closure dates later in the year will be publicised nearer the time.