WORK is to start on a bridge that will help complete a major piece of the national cycle network in County Durham.

The cycle bridge will be installed across the A689, near the site of the former Wynyard station, on the old Castle Eden railway line, at Sedgefield.

It will carry the national cycle network's route number one from Inverness to Dover, will link to the coast-to-coast route, and form part of the North Sea network involving Britain, the Netherlands and Scandinavia.

When the bridge opens next April, it is hoped to develop a 10km cycle route north to Station Town, linking with the Haswell to Hart route.

The bridge will feature artwork made up of fans of coloured tubes radiating from each side, designed by London-based artist Peter Fink.

Traffic controls may be necessary on the A689 and the road may be closed for a weekend when the bridge is installed