A CONTROVERSIAL river bridge which divided a village is likely to be open before Christmas.

North Yorkshire County Council has announced Creets Bridge, at Kirkby Malzeard, will be finished before the end of the month.

A formal opening ceremony has been arranged for Thursday, December 18.

The original listed structure was damaged by flooding in 2000, and a dispute began when it was suggested the repairs presented an opportunity to widen what had always been a traffic bottleneck.

In the end, Government Minister Tony McNulty ruled North Yorkshire County Council should go ahead with the scheme.

Stone from the old bridge has been used to clad a steel frame and the new bridge is wide enough to accommodate two lanes of traffic.

North Yorkshire County Council's executive member for environmental services, Councillor Peter Sowray, said: "After lengthy negotiations to get planning permission I'm delighted we have been able to deliver this new bridge on schedule.

"This is an historic bridge which has been rebuilt in a way to meet the demands of local people for many years to come.

"I'm confident the new Creets Bridge will be an asset to the village and prove to be less of a hazard to modern traffic than the original."