Roadworks, which will last until September, are due to start on a busy road on the outskirts of Norwich next week.

Work to widen the B1108 Watton Road at Colney is due to start on Monday, with drivers facing months of disruption, including overnight road closures and round-the-clock lane closures.

The road is the main route between the A47, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and Norwich Research Park and work is set to continue until Friday, September 14.

Norfolk County Council is spending £1.7m to widen a three-quarter-mile stretch of the road between the A47 and Hethersett Lane junction by around two metres.

With the road increasingly busy, the council says that is to make room for central hatch markings to separate the lanes of traffic, more space at the edge of the road and slightly wider lanes.

From Monday until Friday next week, there will be overnight closures on the road from 7pm to 6am. A diversion route via the A47, A11 and Earlham Road will be signed.

From Tuesday, April 3 to Friday, September 14, one lane of Watton Road will be closed between Hethersett Lane and the A47. There will be no access to the road for traffic travelling out of Norwich towards the A47 junction, drivers will instead be directed along the same diversion route as for the overnight closures.

Watton Road will remain open throughout to traffic wanting to travel towards the city from the junction with the A47, effectively becoming a one-way road for the duration of the works.

And, over a three week period from August 6 to 24, the road will be completely closed 24 hours a day while the existing carriageway surface will be pulverised and resurfaced.

During the improvement work, emergency vehicles, including ambulances will be directed to reach the A47 via Colney Lane, Round House Way and the A11.

Martin Wilby, chairman of Norfolk County Council's environment, development and transport committee, said: 'This stretch of road wasn't designed to carry the volume of traffic it does now, so this is important work to keep all the people who use it safe, as well as help blue light vehicles respond to emergencies as quickly as possible.

'Given how narrow the existing road is, we can't carry out the work safely without causing some disruption to people who use the road.'