The months-long wait for an historic bridge on Swindon's outskirts to be repaired and reopened to traffic appears to be almost over.

The A361 in Lechlade has been closed since the Halfpenny Bridge was struck by a car on June 20, sending parts of its ancient brickwork plunging into the River Thames below. 

As a scheduled ancient monument built circa 1973, the repair was a complicated process and took a while to get going.

But after progress in the last few weeks, it now appears to have been completed as the specially designed and built scaffolding has been removed. 

But now locals are left bemused as the road over the Grade II listed bridge still remains closed even though contractors appear to have left the site. 

One resident said: "No word on the opening."

Another added: "We shouldn't be putting up with this really. The bridge is clearly 'fixed' and we're still having to deal with the road closure and go on lengthy detours that have increased my fuel bill significantly. Who is going to be held accountable for this?

A third commenter said: "Businesses have felt abandoned throughout this process with little to no support or communication from anyone. So while I'm completely thankful that it looks like things are coming to an end, it makes absolutely perfect sense that no one seems to have a clue what's going on."

A dedicated section had been set up on the Gloucestershire Council website, but the latest available update appears to be for the week commencing October 16.

This update says that work needed to be done finalising the parapet repair, initiating de-mobilisation from site, reinstating the field and setting up monitoring.

Gloucestershire Council was approached for an update on the progress of the works and asked when it was likely the road would be fully reopened to motorists but has not responded.