A TWO-YEAR campaign came to a successful end yesterday when a new crossing over the River Swale opened to the public for the first time.

Locally, Richmond's Mercury Bridge was perhaps the most famous casualty of the storms of two years ago.

The central pier of the ancient structure collapsed in flash floods in June 2000, cutting the main road linking the market town with Catterick Garrison.

However, further up Swaledale, Reeth's suspension bridge was also damaged beyond repair when a tree swept away by the swollen river crashed into it.

There were fears that the structure, built by public subscription in the 1920s, would never be replaced as no one was sure who owned it.

However, another public appeal to cover the cost of a replacement was galvanised by a promise of significant funding from the Department of the Environment.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park, North Yorkshire County and Richmondshire District Councils and the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust also confirmed grants, with local people eventually contributing £5,000 towards the £113,000 cost.

The project appeared in jeopardy once again when the owner of the land demanded that the restoration project include work on the bridge pillars, which he claimed forced flood water on to his property.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority - by now overseeing the restoration appeal - said the move could force the cost up by £80,000 and threatened to send grants back to its partners.

However, a compromise was reached during further negotiations and, although the repairs were further delayed by the foot-and-mouth crisis, work finally began on a new bridge in the summer.

The structure has been designed to match the old one as closely as possible, and yesterday children from Reeth Primary School were the first to cross after local MP William Hague performed a brief opening ceremony.

"Something very important has been achieved here," he said. "The bridge is part of the heritage of the dale and part of its history and it's important to preserve that."

Chairman of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Steve Macare, paid tribute to the partners involved in the project.