PART of a Hampshire village was briefly closed to traffic as part of a multi-million-pound project to replace a bridge.

Lyndhurst High Street was shut to enable a convoy of lorries carrying huge concrete beams to drive the "wrong" way through the village.

The road is part of Lyndhurst's one-way system and is normally used only by eastbound-traffic.

But the size of the beams meant the lorries and their escort vehicles had to travel through the village in the opposite direction.

The route was shut for about 15 minutes from 8.15pm. Residents turned out to see the convoy trundle through the shopping area.

As reported in the Daily Echo, a bridge carrying the A35 over another road at Holmsley is being replaced by Hampshire County Council. An eight-mile section of the A35 has been closed to traffic and will not reopen until April.

The beams will form the deck of the new bridge.

Five loads, ranging in weight from 57 tonnes to 70 tonnes, were moved from a holding location at Rownhams services on the M27 to Holmsley via Lyndhurst.

A statement on the parish council's Facebook page earlier this year said: "It will be necessary to bring the beams in through Lyndhurst under escort, using the village’s one-way system in the opposite direction.

"To do this safely and efficiently traffic will be temporarily stopped from the Willow Tree Café as far as the Forestry Commission offices.

"Gatemen will be positioned to monitor the junctions along this stretch of road to prevent vehicles from joining the route."

Video and drone footage supplied by 408 Photogra