A proposal to build a new bridge across the Menai Strait has moved one step closer, after gaining public support in a recent consultation.

A three-month consultation into the future of the existing crossing, which carries the A55 from the Welsh mainland to Anglesey, asked the public for their views on the options for improvement. The majority of respondents (70%) favoured a new bridge.

Deputy first minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones, has announced an investigation into the technical options for a new bridge.

The options were: to widen the existing bridge; build a new multi span bridge; build a single span bridge; or take no action. Of the 1,000 respondents, 94% believed improvements were necessary.

The existing Britannia Bridge was built by Robert Stephenson in 1850 to carry rail traffic, and a road deck was added in the 1970s.