ENGINEERS begin work on a damaged 16th Century market town bridge on Monday after agreeing to postpone repairs during the busy summer tourism period.

Workers from Durham County Council will begin putting up scaffolding and constructing access platforms along the County Bridge, in Barnard Castle, so that stonemasons can work in safety.

The structure was damaged in May when a lorry collided with one of the walls, dislodging stones. The county council then backed down to pressure from traders in the town, who feared structural engineers would begin work during the summer holidays when the town is bustling with visitors.

There were also fears that the bridge would have to close while the repairs were carried out, but the county council also promised to keep the structure open to both traffic and pedestrians.

The top three courses of stone, from the point of collapse to the central pedestrian path, have been dislodged by two centimetres, with daylight showing through the joints.

Two cranes will be used during the work to repair a 40-metre stretch of the bridge. The work is expected to take about two weeks and new stone is being brought from Dunhouse Quarry, near Staindrop.

The county council will put traffic lights in place while the work is carried out, but serious delays are not expected.