Council solution over bridge name

The bridge will improve transport links in Forth Valley

The battle over the name of the new road bridge over the river Forth has taken a new twist with a third local authority entering the fray.

Clackmannanshire Council has been vying to have the bridge at Kincardine named after its county.

Meanwhile Fife Council has lobbied Scottish ministers to officially name it "Kingdom Bridge".

Now a Falkirk councillor has come up with what he suggests is a compromise name - the Wallace Bridge.

Councillor Robert Spears wants the bridge named after the Scottish patriot who defeated English forces at Stirling Bridge in 1297.

Mr Spears said he hopes the title Wallace Bridge might make everyone happy.

William Wallace tried to unify the country and so we should unite to call it the Wallace Bridge Councillor Robert Spiers

He told BBC Scotland's news website: "We're trying to be consensual here and find a name agreeable to everyone.

"The bridge is in the heart of braveheart country and we have seen a large increase in tourism to the area because of the "braveheart effect".

"Hopefully the bridge will continue that."

He added: "At the end of the day, one name will need to be chosen and the bridge goes between the Falkirk and Fife areas.

"We are all adult and we have got to get together here and find a consensual name.

"William Wallace tried to unify the country and so we should unite to call it the Wallace Bridge."

Agency Transport Scotland has said it would outline the process for selecting a name at a later date.

Economic tool

The £120m bridge, due to open in 2008, aims to improve transport links in Forth Valley and Central Scotland.

Both Clackmannanshire Council and Fife Council have claimed the bridge, currently known as the Upper Forth Crossing, is a vital economic tool for each of the areas it serves.

In a poll by BBC Scotland's news website, members of the public gave a mixed reaction to the campaigns by Clackmannanshire and Fife Councils suggesting their own names, such as the "Clackingshire Bridge" and the "Fifth Bridge".

One of the more popular suggestions was to simply name it "The New Kincardine Bridge".