Millennium Bridge to reopen this spring

It had been hoped at one stage that the bridge would reopen by the end of 2001, but delays in fitting dampers to halt the swaying have pushed this back until this spring, almost two years after the bridge originally opened.

Once the final dampers are in place, the structure will be tested extensively for crowd loading and checked by engineers from WS Atkins.

An Arup spokesman says: "The result of the tests will inform the exact opening date but we hope it will be soon.

£ 5 million has been spent on work to eradicate the wobble that has become the bridge's trademark since it briefly opened to the public in June 2000, only to be closed after a couple of days due to violent swaying

The funding of the repairs has only just been finalised in an agreement between between Southwark Council, the Corporation of London, the Millennium Bridge Trust and Ove Arup. Southwark Council had been adamant that no council tax-payers' money would be used for the repairs.