The Second Severn Crossing is to be renamed later this year, the Government has announced.

It will be called The Prince of Wales Bridge to mark the 60th anniversary of the title being confirmed on Prince Charles by the Queen.

The Prince, who opened the crossing in 1996, is 70 this year. The Queen confirmed him as the Prince of Wales at the closing ceremony of the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff in 1958. The Prince was nine years old.

The Government has also confirmed it will abolish Severn crossing tolls this year.

Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns said: "I'm delighted to announce that - with the agreement of the Prime Minister and Her Majesty the Queen - the Second Severn Crossing will be renamed the Prince of Wales Bridge.

"The announcement is a fitting tribute to His Royal Highness in a year that sees him mark 60 years as The Prince of Wales and decades of continued, dedicated service to our nation.

"We look forward to marking the occasion at a special event later this year when the new Prince of Wales Bridge and its sister bridge will be seen as positive symbols of a newly invigorated economic and social partnership between South Wales and South West England, and the strength of the United Kingdom.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "Lower charges on the Severn bridges have already saved drivers more than £3 million - helping boost the economy in Wales and the South West. This is a great way to usher in a new era for this iconic crossing.

"When the tolls are removed by the end of this year, more people will be able to take advantage of even more new job and business opportunities on both sides of the Prince of Wales bridge."

Picture credits: Second Severn Crossing - Department of Transport; Prince Charles - Pixabay.