PART of the Ridgeway National Trail near Avebury will be closed to motor vehicles over spring and summer to enable repair works to bed in.

The closure will be in place during the summer solstice celebrations should they take place, preventing many vans and camping trucks from parking at the popular spot.

Repairs were carried out to the surface in 2019, but the exceptionally wet weather over the winter has resulted in the need for additional time for them to bed in.

Considerable rutting has been caused by motor vehicles and the move has been welcomed by Avebury Parish Council chairman Stephen Stacey:

""I'm delighted that Wiltshire Council is repairing damage to the Ridgeway. This has to be done in a way that protects buried archaeology in this incredibly sensitive area. We need to be confident that the work done will help to preserve the route for the enjoyment and education of future generations."

The first few miles of the Ridgeway National Trail are near Avebury and lie within the Avebury World Heritage Site between Overton Hill and Hackpen Hill.

Vehicles are currently prohibited from using this stretch of the route between October and May.

This has now been extended from May to September 30.

Walkers, cyclists, horse riders and horse and carriage drivers can to continue to use the route, subject to lockdown conditions.

Bridget Wayman, Wiltshire Council Cabinet member for highways, said: “Once we’re satisfied the repairs have ‘taken’ properly we will then be able to test them properly to see how robust they are.

“This will help us and our partners decide how we best protect in the future this part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the National Trail and the protected archaeological features it contains.”