Visitors flock for bridge tours

Visitors saw inside the Forth Road Bridge anchorage chambers during the tours

The Forth Road Bridge's first ever open week saw more than 1,000 people visit the iconic structure for a tour.

Normally unseen areas such as the anchorage chambers, where the main cables are attached to the ground, were opened up during the guided tours.

The open week also featured an exhibition on the bridge's history and the work of the bridge authority, Feta.

A Feta spokesman said many visitors were now calling for the event to be repeated in the future.

Scottish Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said: "The Forth Road Bridge is an iconic structure, providing a vital link between Edinburgh, Fife and the North East, and it's great to see the public given the opportunity to take a closer look and see for themselves the real expertise that goes into its operation."

Barry Colford, Forth Road Bridge's chief engineer, said: "The open week has been a fantastic opportunity to share some of the passion we have for this great engineering structure, and to explain to the people who live locally and rely on the bridge just how much work goes into keeping the bridge safe and open to traffic."

The week was held Monday 26 October until Saturday 31 October.