Historic Wales and England crossing shut to traffic

The Wye bridge used to carry the A48 and was the main road crossing between south Wales and the south of England before the Severn Bridge opened in 1966

One of the oldest crossings between Wales and England has been shut to traffic after engineers found structural damage.

The Old Wye Bridge between Chepstow in Monmouthshire and Tutshill in Gloucestershire has been closed to vehicles until further notice after workers found a crack in the structural beam on one of its pillars.

The Grade I listed structure, now the world's oldest five-arch cast iron bridge, was the main road connection between south Wales and the West Country until the Severn Bridge opened in 1966.

Monmouthshire council have told drivers to use other routes and motorists could face congestion in and around Chepstow.

"We know how important the Old Wye Bridge is as a vital link across the River Wye," Chepstow town council said in a statement.

"We completely understand the frustration this situation is causing our community."

The Wye bridge, the world's largest iron road bridge when it was opened in July 1816, is open to cyclists and walkers.

The crossing was shut immediately by Monmouthshire council on Wednesday after they received a recommendation from the consulting bridge engineers following a routine monitoring inspection.

The crack in the structural beam on one of its pillars has caused Monmouthshire council to shut the old Wye Bridge until further notice.

The structural damage reported by engineers is in the old Wye Bridge's pillar two in the red circle nearest to the Chepstow side of the structure

"Upon inspection, a crack was discovered in the structural beam on pillar two," the council said in a statement.

"We are currently discussing the next steps with the engineers, but the bridge will be closed for vehicular traffic until further notice."

The bridge was the only link between south Wales and Gloucestershire, carrying the main A48 Newport to Gloucester road, until 1988 when a new road bridge was opened at Chepstow.

The Wye bridge, which spans 34 metres (112ft) across the Wye, was built by John Urpeth Rastrick in 1816 and cost about £17,850 to construct, which is approximately £2.2m today.