THE swing bridge at Whitby is to partially close in a move to boost safety at the increasingly popular resort.

It follows trails last year on weekends, bank holidays and busy periods.

North Yorkshire County Council says in response to public feedback it will use its powers to have similar closures in 2022 "to support the economy and tourism in the town."

Karl Battersby, Corporate Director for Business and Environmental Service, said: “The closure of the Swing Bridge has significant safety benefits as we all know how busy the seafront can get at peak holiday times; with huge visitor numbers expected for 2022.

"We understand the importance of allowing traffic over the Swing Bridge, connecting the east and west sides of Whitby, but this has to be balanced with the needs of pedestrians at busy times of the day. We hope this decision will be welcomed and the benefits felt once more.”

The measures will begin on Easter weekend and be in place on all bank holiday weekends including the long weekend for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and all weekends in the school holidays between May and October.

The Swing Bridge will be closed to vehicles between 10.30am and 4pm, with an exemption for buses and vehicles responding to an emergency call. On weekends and bank holidays over the school summer holidays, local highways teams may decide to cancel the closure if the weather forecast is poor.

Today, county councillors are to consider a £380,000 painting and maintenance scheme on the bridge, which is over 100 years old.

Surfacing work is due to be carried out before the 2022 summer holidays and repainting in spring/summer 2023.