THE closed stepping stones crossing over the River Aire in Gargrave will be back on the agenda of the April meeting of the parish council.

The majority of councillors agreed towards the end of last year to put off repairs to the crossing in the Low Green until the spring of this year, when the river is not flowing as fast.

The crossing has been closed for several months after some of the stones became dislodged and were moved out of place.

Instead of carrying out a temporary repair, costing £1,640, the parish council agreed to wait until the spring to make a full repair, when the river was not flowing as fast.

At yesterday's (Wednesday) meeting of the parish council, chair, Stephen Coetzer, said more of the stones had become dislodged and of the original 19, there were now just seven still in place.

It was agreed that the stepping stones and the repair be discussed at the April meeting of the council so the crossing could be repaired in time for holiday times when people started visiting the area.

The meeting heard that the flow of the river had changed following approved work to remove the remains of an old weir for safety reasons to the south of Airebank Terrace, downstream from the stepping stones. The work, carried out by Scapa Healthcare, was approved by North Yorkshire Council.