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 would 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. The repair work is expected to take about two weeks.