Romantic ramblers will soon be following in the footsteps of their Victorian predecessors.

Volunteers are helping to restore a historic kissing gate - thought to have been built by Sir Titus Salt, founder of Saltaire - to its former glory.

It won't be ready by Valentine's Day but the rusty wrought-iron gate on Shipley Glen should be back in working order by spring, when ''a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love''.

Known as the ''birdcage'' because of its shape, the eight-foot high gate stands at the junction of a footpath and bridleway and is being repaired as part of a £3,000 Bradford Council project to restore the rights of way to their Victorian splendour.

The paths are part of a network thought to have been built by Sir Titus to allow workers to walk from the grounds of the family estate at Milner Field, Eldwick, to Salts Mill.

The routes were laid out between dry stone walls with a central row of setts and drains to take water off the paths.

Twenty tons of setts will be used during the repairs, expected to take about five weeks to complete.

While the work is being carried out by Council officials, students from Guiseley School and Countryside Service volunteers, 400 metres of bridleway and 150 metres of footpath will be closed for safety reasons.

Councillor Latif Darr, chairman of the Council's transportation, planning and design committee, said: "Over the years, repair work has failed to stop serious erosion and this time original materials and techniques will be used to completely restore the pathways."

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