Drivers have been warned to brace themselves for more disruption after contractors spotted problems with newly-laid road surfacing on a near-£1m scheme.

Work to make Tombland safer for cyclists began in May, with road closures and changes a headache for drivers until the new-look area reopened last month.

But yesterday the contractors behind the Norwich City Council project – which was initially estimated to cost £360,000 but rose to £974,000 – admitted they had discovered problems with the surfacing work – and that more repairs were needed.

Although Tarmac could not confirm the financial implications of the problem, they said it would be done at their own cost and that an investigation had been launched into the cause. A spokesperson said: 'We've identified an issue with some surfacing work carried out on the Tombland scheme. We're extremely disappointed that this has occurred and are investigating the cause of the surface failures. We'd like to sincerely apologise to our clients and the public for any inconvenience caused.'

The first stage of temporary repairs will take place on Monday, while permanent resurfacing works will begin in the new year.

Tarmac confirmed there will be traffic lights in place from 9.30am to 3pm.

City councillor Bert Bremner said the council was 'very disappointed' with the news.

He said: 'We are obviously very disappointed that there is an issue with the recently-laid road surface in Tombland.

'Tarmac has responded promptly to the situation and we are assured that they will carry out the necessary work to rectify the problem quickly and with as little disruption to the public as possible. We will be monitoring progress of this carefully.'

The project, which is part of the council's £5.9m Push the Pedalways scheme, included the replacement of the roundabout with a new junction that sees traffic from Palace Street giving way, and removing the traffic island in front of Erpingham Gate.

What do you think of the Tombland scheme? Email lauren.cope@archant.co.uk