Repairs on Chester's Grosvenor bridge are finally due to get under way later this month – nearly two years after it was damaged for the second time.

Grosvenor Bridge has had temporary scaffolding on it ever since it was damaged twice in 2022.

The first incident happened in March that year, the second in October, when – both times – the drivers of the cars failed to turn left when going on the bridge in the direction of Overleigh Roundabout, and hit the wall head-on. Fortunately there were no injuries as large masonry blocks fell 50ft to the footpath and cycleway below.

Efforts to repair the wall have been delayed as Cheshire West and Chester Council said developing a design for repair works on a Grade I listed structure such as the bridge is "an incredibly complex task", adding the design needed to be "sympathetic to the historic structure while at the same time minimising the risks to the public in the event of future collisions".

But now repair work is finally due to begin later this month, with overnight road closures taking place so repairs can take place.

The bridge will close overnight, 8pm-5am, from Monday, September 16 to Friday, September 20, for concrete safety barriers and scaffolding to be put in place. New parapet blocks will be installed to replace the damaged and dislodged blocks. The road will reopen to traffic each morning.

Specialist contractors will then begin strengthening works around mid-October.

Throughout the works, the pavement on the racecourse side will remain closed to pedestrians. After the initial night-time closures, road users will not be affected and the bridge will be open, but the footpath/cycleway below the bridge will be closed for the duration of the work.

It is hoped the project will finish in early November.

The rebuilding of the bridge parapet will use new blocks of masonry, as the previous blocks were smashed during the last vehicle collision.

Reconstruction costs will be recovered from the drivers' insurance policies but strengthening costs will be borne by the council.