Old Severn Bridge could be renamed to mark Queen's jubilee

The old Severn Bridge could be renamed in honour of the Queen's upcoming Platinum Jubilee.

Councillors in South Gloucestershire will debate the motion at a meeting on Wednesday.

The Queen opened the bridge in 1966 and celebrates the jubilee in 2022.

Conservative member for Severn Vale Matthew Riddle is behind the motion and said he wanted the region to "go the extra mile" to mark the occasion "in a suitable manner".

If the motion is supported, Mr Riddle has asked the leader of the council Toby Savage to write to the Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps, to make the request formal.

"Having served as a symbol of leadership and hope for our country through good times and bad longer than any ruler in our country's history, it seemed appropriate that South Gloucestershire went the extra mile to find a way to mark The Queen's remarkable 70 years on the throne in a suitable manner,' the motion reads.

"I hope that...the government can give consideration to renaming the Severn Bridge, arguably South Gloucestershire's most iconic landmark, in her honour."

A decision to rename the Second Severn Crossing the Prince of Wales Bridge in 2018 received criticism from some Welsh MPs and an online petition attracted thousands of signatures.

The newer of the two bridges was opened by the prince in 1996, 30 years after the original crossing.

The Queen's 70-year reign will be celebrated with a four-day Bank Holiday weekend from 2-5 June 2022.

To create the long weekend, the late May Spring Bank Holiday that year will be moved to Thursday 2 June and an additional Bank Holiday on Friday 3 June will be created.

A wide range of public events will be held, jubilee medals will be awarded to public services workers and trees will be planted as part of the celebrations.