A PAPER bridge modelled on a Roman-time stone creation is soon to connect two sides of a river in a Lake District valley.

The temporary installation is the work of artist Steve Messam who has called in the help of James Cropper Plc in Burneside to supply 22,000 sheets of paper - made in around two hours as one long piece stretching fort 10 miles.

Situated between two parallel paths in the Grisedale Valley, near Patterdale, the practical creation made from just under 4.5 tonnes of paper will straddle the river providing pedestrians with a crossing point.

Mr Messam, of Upper Teasdale, said he had been working on the project for more than three years.

"It's a complete challenge and has never been done before - although a Japanese artist used toilet rolls to make a bridge - but I wanted to make one without any fixings," he said.

Mr Messam has done all the drawings and designs himself and has tested out the construction on smaller prototypes which have got 'bigger and bigger', so he is confident it will be sturdy enough to support the weight of walkers.

"Having someone on it will make no difference whatsoever to it," he added. "Paper is a very dense material and when in quantity it's really dense - more than twice as strong as oak."

And in a bid to create a bold contrast with the colours of the landscape, the contemporary artwork will be bright red.

"The red stands out against the landscape," added Mr Messam. "It's really vibrant so you won't miss it."

With the unpredictable Lakes weather and environment in mind, he added that the recycled paper is made of a 'special stuff' that does not run.

At the end of the project it will be recovered by the mill to be recycled into new paper once again.

"The worse thing that could happen is that it falls down into the river," he said. "It's about as environmentally friendly as it gets, and at the end there will be nothing to show for it!"

The construction of PaperBridge (correct), part of Lakes Culture's Lakes Ignite programme, will begin in just over a week's time, ready for the 10-day installation from May 10 to May 18.