THE medieval bridge in Bidford-on-Avon will need to be partially dismantled after a tractor hit the side of the ancient monument.

Significant repairs need to be carried out on the stone parapet, spandrel wall and central pier.

The bridge has now been reopened to pedestrians, following the incident on Tuesday, June 9, but a date has not yet been set for when it will be open to vehicles.

As the bridge is a historic structure, repairs have to be carried out with the involvement of different stakeholders and interested parties.

These include representatives from Historic England, Canal River Trust, stonemasons, and the county council's traffic control, highways and term maintenance contractor.

Warwickshire County Council spokesman said: “Bridge maintenance engineers have assessed the damage and determined that partial dismantling of the damaged parapet will be required and repairs to the pier at river level, and to the face of pedestrians landings are necessary.

“The stone parapet and spandrel wall also requires extensive repair. Further inspection and assessment of the stone arch spans is required to determine any further defects.

"Diversion routes will be in place for the duration of the works and the county council will keep the parish and district council and the public informed of developments as they take place.

“We will aim to minimise disruption to local businesses where we can.

"It is our immediate priority to complete the repairs but once this has been done our long term strategy will consider options to restrict use of the bridge by heavy vehicles."

For the latest information on when the bridge will be reopened to vehicles, keep checking redditchadvertiser.co.uk.