Haven Bridge in Great Yarmouth will be closed overnight for up to two weeks while the bridge is painted.

The 7pm to 6am closures, starting on Monday, October 13, will affect pedestrian as well as vehicles. A free taxi service will be available during closures to take pedestrians from one side of the bridge to the other.

Vehicles will be diverted via B1141 North Quay, A12 Breydon Bridge and A1243 Pasteur Road.

The closures are part of a full repainting of the bridge that will start on or soon after Monday 6 October and is expected to last for ten weeks. Most of the painting work will be carried out from underneath the bridge and will not affect road users.

Access for river traffic under the bridge will be maintained although there will be temporary restrictions at times on the width available to navigation. Access for larger vessels requiring the bridge deck to be raised will be restricted to daylight hours.

Norfolk County Council said the overnight closures are necessary because the deck leaves will need to be partially raised while the very ends of the deck are painted.

The work, worth around £170,000, will be carried out by contractors Corroless Eastern.

Further works, under a separate contract, are planned to the bridge towards the end of January 2015 comprising repairs to the timber deck surface.

Both of the schemes will be managed by Eastport UK Ltd acting on behalf of Norfolk County Council who own the bridge.