A FINAL decision on the Stonehenge tunnel will be made within three months.

It comes after the Planning Inspectorate announced it has made its recommendation to the Transport Secretary, following the six month inquiry.

The public hearing took place between April and October last year, and saw a leading archaeology professor claim the tunnel plans would mean the loss of "over half a million" prehistoric artefacts within the World Heritage Site, should plans go ahead.

Professor Mike Parker Pearson, who is professor of British Prehistory at University College London, claimed in June artefacts "would be bulldozed without record or recovery by the proposed strategy", adding "this is an unacceptable level of damage to the resources and loss of information about Stonehenge's prehistoric past".

According to a report published in July, the government believes it now has a scheme that is affordable, deliverable and has the support of heritage and environmental bodies.

The House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts report on transport infrastructure in the South West, published on July 2, added that decisions on how to fund the project are “on the critical path for the planned opening date of 2026” and “are now at the mercy of the much-awaited Spending Review”.

The Examining Authority issued a Recommendation Report to the Secretary of State on January 2, 2020.

The Secretary of State has three months in which to issue a decision, so can be expected no later than Thursday, April 2.