Drivers face more than six months of delays and diversions as parts of the A47 are closed around King's Lynn.

Two bridges at the Saddlebow interchange to the south of the town have been damaged after being struck by an over-height vehicle.

Work to repair the bridges by replacing damaged beams will start at the end of October.

An event is being held at Adrian Flux Arena on Monday, October 2 (12-noon - 7pm) where people will have an opportunity to find out more about what the work will mean for them.

Work on the bridges will start on Monday, October 23 and is expected to be complete next summer. It will involve lifting up the bridges, then removing the concrete and taking out and replacing the damaged beams.

Both the bridges carrying the A148 over the A47 at the Saddlebow interchange will be closed throughout the project, one lane of the A47 westbound will also be closed throughout the works. Drivers will be diverted via the nearby Pullover roundabout (when heading westbound) and Hardwick Interchange (eastbound).

There will also be up to eight weekends of closures of the A47 beneath Saddlebow Bridge (from 8pm Friday to 6am Monday), and some overnight closures throughout the week.

Whenever the A47 is closed here, there will be a short up-and-over diversion across the Saddlebow junction. The bridges will remain open for pedestrians and cyclists.

All four slip roads at the junction will be fully resurfaced as part of the project, along with the roundabout itself.

The bridge repairs are part of a wider £18m package of work to maintain the A47 in Norfolk, which consists of around 70 different schemes on the A47.

This work will include resurfacing, bridge strengthening, replacing street lights, repairing drainage along with safety improvements and renewing signs and road markings at key locations along the road. Some of the works will mean land closures and delays.

Highways England project manager Ajith Nair said it hoped to limit the impact the work would have on people's journeys.

He added: 'This work we are doing on Saddlebow Bridge and elsewhere on the A47 will improve both safety and journey quality for drivers.'