HISTORY was made when Europe's first plastic bridge was gently manoeuvred over the River Cole at West Mill Bridge, near Shrivenham.

The exacting procedure was the culmination of the £2.8 million European-funded project ASSET, to develop new composite construction material.

At exactly 12.50pm yesterday a 200-tonne crane slowly raised 11 metre-long grey span, a giant piece of Airfix-like kit weighing 12 tonnes, and gently slotted it into position to carry traffic on the B4508.

And after some meticulous alignment with spirit level and eye, by 1.05pm the bridge deck was finally rested onto two brick plinths either side of the river, casting a permanent shadow on the babbling waters below.

"I wonder what Brunel would have made of all this?," said one intrigued onlooker, as the press camera shutters clicked.

The project team comprised of Oxfordshire County Council, designers Mouchel and contractor Skanska.

Danish company Fiberline provided the materials essentially glass fibre and carbon fibre as well as access to a number of research institutions throughout Europe.

The plastic design made life much easier for the installers, as a traditional construction would have weighed nearly four times more.

Mouchel's Director of Advanced Engineering, Dr Sam Luke, said: "This is the future, for structures such as rail and highway crossing where disruption needs to be kept to a minimum. The advantages include ease of installation, low maintenance requirements and reduced costs from cradle to grave."

The bridge, which slopes slightly downwards from Oxfordshire to Wiltshire, will now be subject to rigorous testing before being open to traffic at the end of this month.

Oxfordshire county councillor David Robertson, executive for transport and highways, said: "This is an amazing piece of engineering and we are pleased to be leading the way in new and innovative development."

Peter Brown, group engineer for bridges at the county council, said: "It is really exciting to see the bridge deck being lifted into place, the culmination of four years hard work.

"Advanced composites are a material of the future and we are pleased to be at the forefront of its development."