HISTORIC stonework, the last vestiges of Chippenham’s old town bridge, has suffered substantial damage, with a whole section of the balustrade knocked down.

Police report the damage happened between Friday at 9am and Sunday at 2.30pm.

The historic stone work is irreplaceable, and the cost of repairing the damage with new stone is estimated at more than £10,000.

Marc Allum, a writer, speaker and star of BBC Antiques Roadshow, who has lived in Chippenham for seven years, said it was not clear if the damage was caused by vandals, or by a reversing vehicle.

"This is part of Chippenham's history, the original old bridge balustrade," he said. "This is the last of it. When it's gone, it's gone. Whether it was vandalism or backed into, it's an illustration of how, sadly, things get lost, and nothing happens to fix them."

John Scragg, vice chair of Chippenham Civic Society, said he would like to see it repaired.

If you have any information about the damage, call the police on 101.