Traffic arrangements were put into action to deal with the arrival of new students in a congested city centre yesterday.

The Durham Freshers' Sunday traffic plan involved the opening of an old stone bridge to vehicles, to prevent a bottleneck on the narrow streets of the city's cathedral and castle peninsula.

Prebends Bridge, at the southern tip of the peninsula, usually only serves as a foot and cycle crossing.

But with the majority of Durham University's 2,700 intake of new undergraduates arriving in the city prior to Freshers' Week yesterday, the authorities arranged to open the 18th Century bridge to vehicles to aid the smooth flow of traffic.

Most of the students arrive with their parents by car to deliver them and their luggage at the start of term, with the five peninsula colleges causing the biggest traffic problem.

But the traffic plan involved them arriving at staggered times through the day, with the parking area in the Market Place being used as a holding bay before the cars were filtered along Saddler Street to Hatfield, St Chad's, St John's and the Castle, or University colleges, plus St Cuthbert's Society.

Inspector Tony Bell, of Durham Police, said last night the arrangements, now in their 11th year, appeared to work well.

"We do it every year and it is an interruption to the normal traffic flow.

"It's obviously an extra burden to other motorists, but it's the best way to keep disruption to a minimum.

"We're grateful for the co-operation of the students, their parents and other road users to make it work as well as possible."