TRADERS in a market town badly hit by last year's foot-and-mouth epidemic are celebrating after council engineers agreed to keep a bridge open while repairs are carried out.

Businesses in Barnard Castle were worried that the town's County Bridge, which forms a vital link over the River Tees, would have to be closed for at least two weeks over the busy summer period.

Many traders feared they would lose thousands of pounds in revenue if the bridge was closed for repairs and called on Durham County Council to keep the link open.

Yesterday, structural engineers from the authority confirmed that not only will the bridge remain open, but that the repair work would be carried out in September, avoiding the height of the tourist season.

Part of the bridge parapet was dislodged and collapsed into the river following a road accident last month. Engineers initially thought the only safe way to rebuild the structure would be to close it.

Now, the county council is looking to use cranes and scaffolding access platforms to allow stonemasons to work in safety.

The top three courses of stone, from the point of collapse to the central pedestrian path, have been dislodged by two centimetres, with daylight showing through the joints.

The repair work is expected to take about two weeks and new stone is being brought from Dunhouse Quarry, near Staindrop.

Chris Dauber, of Teesdale Marketing, which represents traders in the town, said: "This is excellent news for all the businesses in the town, because if the bridge had been closed during the summer period it would have had a big effect on trade.

"Thankfully, the county council has listened to the traders and they have agreed to keep it open. We are very relieved, especially after the impact the foot-and-mouth outbreak had on the town.

"A lot of traders are trying to rebuild their businesses."

Chris Tunstall, the county council's director of environment and technical services, said: "We've been as concerned as anyone about the impact that closing the road would have on the economy of the town, as well as the farmers up the dale who are trying to get back on their feet after last year's foot and mouth disease crisis."