The final bill for the Norwich Northern Distributor Road will come in under the revised budget of £205m, say council bosses.

The wrangling with contractor Balfour Beatty over the cost of the road is settled, Norfolk County Council says.

Council officers say while there are still elements of the scheme that remain outstanding, such as final land costs still in negotiation and other landscaping works, they are forecasting the project, now known as the Broadland Northway, will be delivered within the £205m budget.

Martin Wilby, chairman of the council's environment, development and transport committee, said: 'It's come in under budget and I'd like to thank the director and our team for helping us to achieve that.'

Labour leader Steve Morphew said: 'I'm pleased to hear it's not gone over £205m, but it's still over the figure we'd originally increased it by.

'I am still keen to see the report into where the money went and what lessons have been learned.'

Tom McCabe, executive director of community and environmental services, said a report would be ready in the summer.

In 2017, Norfolk County Council agreed to add an extra £26m to the budget for the road, which stretches from the A47 at Postwick to the east of the city to the A1067 Fakenham Road to the west.

The council's officers had asked for permission to hike the £178.9m budget to £205m, because extra costs accrued in building the road meant contractor Balfour Beatty had increased the bill.

Reasons for extra costs included: delays in getting the go-ahead to take the road over the railway line at Rackheath; design changes; increased land costs and having to spend more on diverting utilities, such as gas pipes.

Dan Roper, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, questioned the quality of the material used in painting the lines on the road.

He said: 'Please could you get the lines repainted and regular maintenance put in place.

'As far as the original lines go, they were rubbed out in just a few months, so I really question the quality of the materials used.'

Mr Wilby said: 'We are reviewing it all the time and maintenance is part of our ongoing work.'