Work can steam ahead on the £178.5m Norwich Northern Distributor Road despite fears it would be delayed over the movement of cables.

Telecoms giant BT previously said it would refuse to allow its cables, which need to be diverted over a new bridge, to be relocated so BT Sport customers could watch the event.

International stars Mo Farah and Usain Bolt will be competing in the championships at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford.

BT had put a moratorium on cable diversion work during the event, which runs from Friday, August 4 until Sunday, August 13.

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Since then, the council said BT Openreach came back to it with earlier dates for the cable move meaning NDR work could continue during the summer holiday.

John Birchall, public liaison officer for the NDR, said: 'We are very pleased that BT have found a way of bringing forward the work without affecting their customers.

'Whatever the reason for this, it gives us a chance to get more work done in the school holidays during the difficult period when the B1149 Holt Road traffic will be diverted on to Reepham Road.'

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That work will continue into the autumn.

Mr Birchall added: 'This does mean reprogramming work around the NDR/A140 junction again, but we have already decided to bring forward the closure of Holt Road to Wednesday, August 9.

'We will be doing everything we can to restore the link for Holt Road traffic back to the A140, but this can only be done using the NDR and the junction slip roads.'

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The B1149 Holt Road will close permanently south of Horsford as part of the cable work connected with the NDR and ongoing junction work.

From then on traffic from that road will be diverted on to New Drayton Lane to ensure the A140/A1270 NDR junction works can be completed.

Originally, the council said there was no point closing the Holt Road until the cables could be moved.

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A BT Openreach spokesman said: 'Openreach has been liaising with the council throughout and are not aware of any complaints on timings, the work is scheduled to start July 31 until August 11.

'We have worked with partners and planned this major project to be completed as quickly as possible whilst keeping any disruption to a minimum.'

Work on the NDR started in 2016.

When completed, it will be 12.5 miles long starting from the A47 at Postwick, east of Norwich, and ending at the A1067 Fakenham Road north of Taverham.