A CRANE lowered two steel towers into place as one of Swaledale's best-loved landmarks began to take shape again this week.

Work began on Monday to install the main structure of the Reeth swing bridge following completion of concrete abutments on each side of the Swale.

When the towers were firmly in place, work on the cabling began and a spokesman for the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, which has led the restoration, said the bridge should be re-opened in November.

The footbridge, which links the village with Harkerside, was swept away by floods in September 2000. It was believed to have been built in the Twenties by public subscription and, when its ownership could not be determined, the park authority stepped in to spearhead the replacement.

The finished bridge will closely resemble the original, but incorporates modern technology and materials for durability and ease of maintenance.

Funding for the £113,000 project came from the park authority, the Rural Development programme, Richmondshire district and North Yorkshire county councils, central Government, the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and the community. A public appeal was launched in February, 2001.