A TEMPORARY replacement for Pooley Bridge, swept away by Storm Desmond in December, is on target to open on March 20.

The opening came a step closer on Sunday when a 200-tonne crane, with a 42-metre boom, pulled the nose of the structure into place reuniting the two river banks for the first time in almost three months.

Engineers expect to jack the bridge into its final position by Wednesday.

Story Contracting has been working on the project for four weeks.

Site manager Dave Newton said: “We had nothing to work with because the abutments had been washed away.

“We had to put in a steel pile and fill behind it with concrete.

"We still have another three weeks of work to build up the road on either side because the deck of the bridge is a metre higher than the original.”

The spectacle on Sunday drew a crowd of more than 50 people, who watched in the sunshine from a viewing platform behind the Crown Inn.

Miles MacInnes, chairman of Barton parish council, was among them.

He said: “It's a great relief. It has been a very frustrating three months and a traumatic time for everyone in the village. We all think it could have been done a bit quicker.”

Once the temporary bridge opens, attention will turn to a permanent replacement.

Cumbria County Council has said it will consult on the plans.