AN agreement has been reached which should clear the way for a new crossing over one of the region's rivers.

The swing bridge at Reeth, North Yorkshire, built by public subscription in the 1920s, was washed away in the floods of September 2000, prompting an appeal for funds to pay for a replacement.

Once again, the community rallied round to raise £3,000 with the remainder of the £110,000 bill covered by grants from the Government, the county and district councils, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.

There were fears the project could be in jeopardy last autumn when landowner David Sizer requested that the restoration included work on the abutments, which he said caused flooding on surrounding fields.

National park officials warned that it could put up the cost by another £40,000 and threatened to return the money to organisations that had pledged their support.

However, talks continued and following a meeting on site, it has been confirmed the work will start within weeks.

"It has been agreed farmers will be given time to gather the silage crop from fields in the area before contractors arrive on site," said a spokeswoman for the Yorkshire Dales National Park. "Once they have finished, we would expect work to start in July."