Disruptive roadworks at one of the busiest routes to a summer tourist hotspot have been delayed until after the summer holidays.

A roundabout is set to be built at Redgate Hill on the A149 to provide access to 166 homes to be developed on land between Heacham and Hunstanton.

This location has been heavily criticised by Heacham Parish Council.

The work was due to begin in August but Norfolk County Council has announced it will now take place after the school holidays to ensure traffic is not affected during the peak of the area's tourist season.

A 250m stretch of Hunstanton Road, from the A149 junction, is set to be closed for seven months while the work is completed.

Meanwhile, Heacham Parish Council is calling for a rethink over the location, arguing access should be situated closer to Hunstanton either via Harry's Way or through Searle's land.

A parish spokesman said this would be 'obviously logical, far more environmentally sound, and would require no closure of Hunstanton Road or the A149 to permit construction'.

Simon Bryan, development director of Hopkins Homes, said: 'Given the concerns raised by local residents during consultation and our preference to have a dedicated access route to the new development, we have worked closely with Norfolk County Council's Highways department to create a safe and suitably located new roundabout on the A149 that connects all existing roads and causes the least amount of disruption to the local community.'

He said work would begin in October and should be completed by April 2017.