HIGHWAYS chiefs across the country have pledged their commitment to follow the North-East's lead in trying to end the scandal of Britain's decaying railway bridges.

Two years after motorist Gary Hart was found guilty of causing the deaths of ten people in the Selby rail disaster, local authorities are finally putting unseemly disputes behind them to tackle the deadly problem.

The news that hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of upgrades are to be carried out represents a resounding victory for The Northern Echo's Scandal of the Railway Bridges campaign.

Our efforts were launched in the wake of the Selby tragedy of February 2001, and were heralded by Prime Minister Tony Blair as the driving force behind a change in Government policy, designed to speed up work.

Despite squabbles over who should pay for improvement work to crumbling road-over-rail barriers being resolved, experts still voiced concerns that not all councils were doing their best to address the issue.

Durham and North Yorkshire county councils have already invested more than £1m in dealing with dangerous structures since the Selby disaster.

In North Yorkshire, only six bridges still require improvements, with work to be carried out over the next two years.

It was testament to the councils' work that, in the past 12 months, there was only one incident in the North-East of a vehicle coming off the road and ending up on a railway line. There were 33 cases nationally.

Authorities in the South last night promised that they would follow suit, ensuring that the nationwide scandal may be ended in the next few years.

Northamptonshire County Council said work on structures would be completed in the coming three years.

Officials have pledged £350,000 to the issue. A spokeswoman said: "We will have a rolling programme and will work on each bridge as we see fit."

Cornwall County Council officials have completed a survey of possible danger areas and are planning to spend £100,000 on 12 structures before 2006.

A spokeswoman for Surrey County Council said it was also committed to repair work, but said: "It is very difficult when you look at the insurance liabilities which have to be in place.

"In the event of an incident taking place, we may not have the funding."

Other authorities are also planning similar work.

Professor John Knapton, a former Newcastle University lecturer and nationally renowned structural engineer, had previously criticised councils in the South for not acting quickly.

Last night, he said: "All local authorities are now responding to what The Northern Echo has been saying.

"This has been the year that things have finally got going, and we seem to be getting it right at last."

Read more about the Railway bridges scandal here.