THE long wait was finally over for the people of Whitby today when the town was re-united, nine days after it was split in two.

The century-old swing bridge linking the resort across the River Esk, which had been jammed in the open position, was finally repaired.

And it was back in action by late morning - several hours ahead of schedule.

The bridge had been stuck in the open position since July 21 and Scarborough Borough Council had to fly in replacements parts from Italy to get it fixed.

Head of technical services John Riby said: "Since the problems with the bridge began, we have worked extremely hard and made special efforts to speed up the process of diagnosing the problem, locating replacements parts, testing the different components and finally re-assembling the parts in the bridge and re-opening it today ahead of schedule."

He added: "We fully appreciate the inconvenience that the bridge closure has caused and I would like to thank residents, traders and visitors for their patience over the last week and a half."

During the closure period free shuttle buses had been running every seven minutes between 6am and midnight to try and keep the town united.

Local boat owners had also been doing their bit, running ferry services across the estuary at £1 a trip.

The re-opening was greeted with relief by local traders - particularly those on the eastern bank who claimed their businesses had been hit.

The chief executive of tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire, Gary Verity, said: "We are delighted the bridge has re-opened in time for what looks set to be a busy holiday weekend for Whitby.

"We have spent the week working with Scarborough Borough Council to try to minimise the impact this has had on visitors and traders in the town."