A BAILEY bridge near Kirkby Lonsdale is to be improved for motorists.

Flood-damaged Middleton Hall Bridge remains closed after serious damage in December's floods. The ramps of the temporary bridge are to be extended to ease the gradient, and a flatter, more tactile surface is to be laid on the ramps and across the bridge, said a Cumbria County Council spokesman.

The work is scheduled to be completed by the end of April and the timescale for a new bridge is 12-18 months. A closure of three to six months is anticipated when the permanent new bridge is built.

The bailey bridge made the news in February when BBC Cumbria journalist Martin Lewes was injured after attempting to cycle across it. "In a sensible world I should have stopped and thought: 'I'll walk over that,'" he said at the time.

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Cllr Nick Cotton, who represents Sedbergh and Kirkby Lonsdale on South Lakeland District Council, said of the improvements: "Appleby fair is coming up and it's going to make it easier for horses and bow-tops to get over the bridge. It will also benefit lots of other people."

Cllr Mark Day, vice-chairman of Kirkby Lonsdale Town Council, praised the CCC highways department, but said that concern at a lack of Government funding for flood repairs would be on the town council's April agenda.