TRAFFIC chaos will hit Bradford on Avon again, as the Town Bridge needs urgent repairs after a car ploughed into it, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.

The impact caused when a black Mercedes C180 crashed into the stonework just before 3am on Tuesday sent a three-metre chunk of the parapet hurtling into the River Avon.

Repairing the damage will mean traffic lights will be in operation on the bridge, with work due to start on October 24.

To add to the town's considerable traffic woes, the works will coincide with the closure of Market Street, which will shut from Sunday until October 30, while repairs are carried out on the high wall at the top end, plunging the town into a congestion nightmare.

Mayor Alison Craddock said: "The wall in Market Street has to be mended, with the fact that Holt Road is still slow going and now this chaos too, I think it is safe to say Bradford on Avon is going to be pretty unnavigable for a while.

"It is a much bigger hole than I thought it would be. It was lucky that the river was not higher and that nobody was hurt.

"It was just awful to see such an iconic piece of the town broken apart like that, it really is horrible news."

Engineers from Wiltshire Council waded into the river on Wednesday to recover the stones which can be re-used. It is understood the cost of repairing the Grade I listed structure could be around £10,000.

David Moss, of the Bradford Preservation Trust, said: "It is quite extraordinary to believe that something like this could have happened.

"It is such a historic bridge and it is a focal part of the town. It is striking just how big a hole the car made, it must have been quite an impact.

"Hopefully it can be restored without too much cost and as soon as possible as it is a very special part of the town."

Market Street will be closed to all traffic 24 hours a day from Sunday, from its junction with Church Street to the junction with Masons Lane, whilst Foundation Piling Ltd carry out work at the top of the street to secure and strengthen the foundations of the decaying wall.

Businesses on the street will be staying open during the closure.

On Wednesday police said four people, three men, aged 22, 26 and 35, and a woman aged 32, all from the local area, had been arrested in connection with burglary and theft of a vehicle in Leigh Park Road overnight on Monday.

They were later released on police bail while inquiries continue.