THE vast majority of footpaths and bridleways in the Yorkshire Dales will be open to the public again by the weekend.

Only two per cent of the paths will remain closed, as farms complete their clean-ups in the wake of the foot-and-mouth epidemic.

But, for the first time in ten months, the Pennine Way, the Dales Way and hundreds of kilometres of other paths will be open.

The National Park Authority has been given the go-ahead for the reopening by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

This week, rangers will be taking down the closed signs on all but a handful of paths and bridleways that cross farms still to complete their secondary cleansing and disinfecting.

"This is the news we have been waiting for, adding to the earlier openings across the National Park," said head of park management Jon Avison.

"By the weekend, 98 per cent of footpaths in the park will be open to the public, with the outlook for opening the last two per cent also looking very good."

The crisis and the resultant closures have been the worst problem to hit the park since it was created in 1954. Now, it will have to work at bringing back the visitors.

"Today we can start to rebuild and encourage the public back to this great National Park, safe in the knowledge that the overwhelming majority of footpaths and bridleways are open for them to come and enjoy," said Mr Avison.

The footpaths and bridleways that remain closed will be signed and the public is asked to continue to respect this.

For further information on the remaining restrictions, people should contact any one of the National Park centres, at Grassington, Aysgarth Falls, Malham, Clapham, Hawes, Reeth or Sedbergh.