The 115-year-old footbridge at Chippenham railway station has been demolished to pave the way for disabled access onto the platform as part of a scheme costing nearly £3 million.

Elated members of the Community Access to Rail Travel (CART) group went along to see the cranes as they moved in on Saturday, January 24, to remove part of the bridge at the west end, which was built in 1899.

The rest was removed on Saturday.

People with disabilities and those using pushchairs have been waiting years for promised easier access to railway platforms.

In June, two lifts will be put in to give access from the Cocklebury Road side, though funding does not stretch to provide access to the Hathaway Retail Park side.

CART chairman Maureen Lloyd said: “We have lift off to the journey of advantage for all.

"I cannot put in words the elation I feel after almost 20 years of campaigning for step access, to finally see it nearing fruition.”

Network Rail said the work was done on Saturday nights, when no trains run, to minimise the impact on travellers.

A spokesman said: "We are due to complete the work in the summer. We plan to open the footbridge before the end of the work though (no specific date as yet), as we can carry out the work while enabling people to use the new footbridge."

The £2.98m scheme is being funded in part by the Department for Transport’s Access for All scheme.