A LONG-AWAITED footbridge linking two villages near Colchester has been unveiled.

Pupils from Chappel Primary School were the first to walk over the bridge, which crosses the river Colne between Wakes Colne and Chappel.

The existing deteriorating road bridge, which does not have a separate pedestrian footpath, closed in September.

It is being strengthened and is due to reopen next March.

The total cost of the two bridges is £390,000.

Borough councillor Peter Chillingworth officially cut the ribbon with county councillor Anne Brown.

He said: “The old bridge is on its last legs.

“It’s been an ambition of the parish councils and the residents to be able to separate the pedestrian from the vehicular traffic, because it was very narrow and very dangerous.

“We had no footbridge, so everybody had to go along the carriageway to get to the school and the pub, and for people coming the other way, to the shops.

“Like everywhere else, traffic is building up and we have a lot of vehicles going across it, so it’s much better now.”

The two parishes decided the footbridge will be called Wakes Colne Bridge and the road bridge will be called Chappel Bridge.