POLICE and Wiltshire Council are working to track down a hit-and-run driver who damaged the road bridge at East Kennett last night.

The driver fled from the scene in a badly damaged vehicle after colliding with the bridge sometime after 10pm yesterday.

Now police and the council are trying to trace the driver - with a view to claiming on his or her vehicle insurance for repairs to the bridge.

Cllr Bridget Wayman, the council's cabinet member for highways, said: “Officers have inspected the damaged East Kennett bridge and made arrangements for temporary barriers to be installed.

"The bridge will remain open to traffic at the present time but we may have to close the bridge in the future to complete the repairs.

“We are currently working with Wiltshire Police to identify the driver responsible with a view to recovering our costs from their insurance company.”

Villager Debbie Simpson said: "I saw the damage when I went for my run at 7am this morning.

"There are bits of a car in the river. I am intrigued to know what happened."

Villagers found the remains of a car bumper and the front vehicle registration plate in the river below the bridge this morning.

It appears to belong to a 2017-registered 2442cc white Mitsubishi. It is not known whether the driver was hurt.

A Wiltshire Police spokesman said: “At 10.15am this morning we received a call about damage to a bridge in East Kennett near Marlborough.

“It is believed that the damage was caused by a fail-to-stop vehicle collision overnight and enquiries are under way to try to identify the vehicle and the driver.

“Anyone with information should call 101, quoting log 109 of today.”