GRACEFUL arches beneath a North Yorkshire bridge are unmarred by steel supports for the first time in months, with a crane arriving yesterday to hoist them clear.

Richmond's Mercury Bridge was damaged in floods in June last year - with steel lattices installed to prevent a total collapse.

However, the structure over the River Swale has been standing without support since January, with the lifting gear called in this week as the water in England's fastest flowing river has now dropped from its winter peak.