Stonehenge tunnel is approved by government

Plans to construct a road tunnel near Stonehenge have been approved.

The Department for Transport approved the £1.7bn two-mile (3.2km) tunnel from Amesbury to Berwick Down in Wiltshire on Friday.

Highways England said it wanted to build the tunnel to reduce traffic and cut journey times on the A303.

Campaign group, the Stonehenge Alliance, said it was “extremely disappointed” by the decision and warned the project could see Stonehenge stripped of its World Heritage Site status.

The scheme, which has been backed by Wiltshire Council, involves overhauling eight miles of the major road which goes from London to South West England.