Village life in Micklethwaite is about to start going with a swing again.

The faulty swing bridge over the Leeds-Liverpool Canal has been causing headaches for motorists for months.

Villagers are fed up with being left stranded in their cars whenever the bridge jams.

The ten-year-old bridge is supposed to swing open to allow boats through and is operated electronically by canal users after the barriers have been lowered to halt traffic.

But a fault means that barriers do not always rise again or the bridge does not swing back fully into place to allow cars to cross safely.

Drivers are then faced with a choice of waiting for it to be fixed or using a two-mile detour via Stye Lane and Park Road.

Now British Waterways is to spend £5,000 updating the hydraulics system on the bridge in a bid to fix it for good.

Work will begin on February 16 and last for a week.

The first two days will see staff from BW and Leeds-based contractor Elram removing the hydraulic parts and jacking up the bridge in the "road open" position. Minor delays of a few minutes are to be expected for vehicles.

After the parts have been taken away for refurbishment, they will be re-fixed and tested, which will involve the bridge being swung.

Any boat wishing to use the bridge during this time should contact BW's Bradford offices as far in advance as possible - at least 48 hours - by ringing (01274) 611303.

David Blackburn, waterways manager for BW, apologised for any inconvenience but said the bridge had to be brought up to a more reliable standard.

He said more than £10,000 had already been spent on renewing the bridge's electrical system but it had still been causing problems.

"We're talking about a bridge that was built just over ten years ago and technology moves forward. It was one of the first of its type in the country," said Mr Blackburn.

"We think we have done the best that we can with this particular scheme to minimise disruption. Originally we thought we might have to close the road completely but that won't be necessary."

Micklethwaite Village Society, which drew up a petition complaining about the unreliability of the bridge, today welcomed the news.

Committee member Rosemary Hollins said: "It's caused general aggravation for a long time now. I live near enough so that if it happens when I am in my car, I can leave it and walk home but there are lots of people who are much worse affected."

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