Spick and span

Funding came from bodies including Yorkshire Forward, the European Regional Development Fund and the Environment Agency.

The new bridge is part of a wider regeneration scheme in The Wicker, which has also included overhauling paving, street furniture and shop frontages in the area in recent years, at a cost running into millions of pounds.

Originally, plans were drawn up to construct a 90-metre-long footbridge across the Don, following a skewed angle between the two banks.

But Sheffield Council officials then re-assessed the scheme and devised the new plan, which provides a more direct link straight across the water.

With a design echoing butterfly wings, the bridge is part of new flood defences in the area and has a fender fixed underneath to trap any floating debris in the water. The project has also included installing footway lighting and a new link with the Five Weirs Walk.

Picture: Chris Lawton