River Thames Whitchurch Bridge opens to pedestrians

The work was originally due to finish in April, but it was delayed by flooding and river conditions in December.

A 112-year-old bridge over the River Thames has reopened to pedestrians.

Whitchurch Bridge closed last October for reconstruction work, which overran by five months.

The work cost more than £6m - £2m over budget - and its operator said costs will rise for some journeys.

The toll bridge was used by around 6,000 drivers daily. The work was due to finish in April but was delayed by flooding and river conditions in December.

Geoff Weir, from the privately-owned Whitchurch Bridge Company, said the bridge between Whitchurch-on-Thames and Pangbourne will open to cars on Friday.

Journeys made using a bridge card will rise from 20p to 29.4p.

Regular cash payments will remain at 40p for the time being, although this is likely to rise in the future.

Mr Weir said: "We are very aware of the disruption we have caused to thousands of drivers every day. So we are just pleased that we can get the bridge opened on Friday.

"Now hopefully people can come back, their journeys will be easier and any businesses locally which have lost out because their businesses have been closed will see their customers coming back."