Stonehenge A303 tunnel reportedly axed by Rachel Reeves

The latest development comes as part of a long line of back and forth, which has seen the plans constantly approved, scrapped, appealed, revived, and so on.

Earlier this year, a large section of the A360 was closed for three months in order for work to power the tunnel to be completed, with the road only recently re-opening at the beginning of July.

The latest news, reported in the Sunday Times, reveals that the £1.7bn scheme to build the tunnel under Stonehenge on the A303 has been scrapped in order to plug a £20bn 'black hole' left by the Conservative government.

The proposed Stonehenge tunnel (Image: Newsquest)

Danny Kruger, MP, for East Wiltshire, took to social media to express his disappointment on the matter, calling for a "credible alternative."

He said: "Many residents in Wiltshire will be deeply disappointed that the project to relieve the horrendous traffic congestion through our villages has been axed.

"If this report is true is it essential that the Government comes forward with a credible alternative plan - funded by the savings from scrapping the tunnel - to improve the road network around the A303.

"These improvements have been needed for years but delayed in anticipation of the tunnel.

"The Government must now set out how it will help our towns and villages cope with the volume of cars and lorries that clog up our roads."

Wiltshire Councillor for Amesbury and Bulford, Cllr Mark Verbinnen, said on social media: "It is now widely speculated in press and political circles that the new labour chancellor will announce tomorrow that they plan to scrap the A303 tunnel project.

"I personally am most disappointed because of the huge investment that was promised to the Amesbury Area, which I have been lobbying for, including in public facilities.

"There are many who will be happy with this announcement I'm sure, but still no solution will be forthcoming from this new government."

A final decision on the Stonehenge tunnel may not arrive until a ruling on the project by the Court of appeal in the early autumn.

Earlier this month, campaigners bidding to halt a planned road near Stonehenge began their latest legal challenge at the Court of Appeal.

Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site (SSWHS) previously brought a challenge over proposals to build a two-mile tunnel near the Salisbury landmark to overhaul eight miles of the A303 from Amesbury to Berwick Down.

In a ruling earlier this year, Mr Justice Holgate dismissed the campaigners’ bid to overturn that decision, finding most parts of their case “unarguable”.

However, SSWHS is now bringing an appeal against this decision at the Court of Appeal in London.

The latest report states that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce that Britain is "broke and broken" as she publishes a Treasury audit.

She is expected to announce the date of a spending review and budget in October that will see other projects scaled back or scrapped, including the A27 Arundel bypass and the 'New Hospitals Programme' which promised 40 new hospitals to be built or expanded.