ESCALATIONG costs of vital renovations to the Bideford Long Bridge has forced the county council to review its plans.

The present cost of the plans are said to be astronomical, and with talk of a new upstream bridge being built under the Bideford Regeneration Initiative, there is uncertainty over what will happen to the historic 13th century structure.

The project, originally estimated at around £6 million, was due to start this summer, but a technical review is now under way which the county council says could last several months.