DRIVERS trying to get between Weymouth and Bridport will be forced to make detours when urgent maintenance work begins on the B3157.

Roadwork on the coast road is scheduled to begin on Monday, October 6 and will continue through November and December.

Highways officers from Dorset County Council met members of the public and community representatives to discuss the "unavoidable disruption to users of the route".

Residents who attended the meeting at Portesham Village Hall heard the works were urgently required to "address areas of failed road surface, which, if ignored, would have serious safety implications".

County council engineers said every endeavour is being made to minimise disruption to users and those living and working along the road.

They added that there was "very little room for manoeuvre with no feasible alternative to temporarily closing the road to enable the works".

The planned works involve four separate locations that require the road to be closed daily between 8.30am and 5.30pm.

The road will be open outside these times, at weekends and during the half-term school holiday.

Residents at the meeting asked why the works had to take place now and whether they could have been carried out at night.

They were told the scheduled timing was preferable to any other time when it might have more of an impact on local businesses and tourists.

The engineers added that, notwithstanding the substantial additional costs involved, it would not be practical for the works to take place at night due to falling temperatures, safety issues and availability of labour.

Highways officers advised that the only sensible available diversion route was the A35 via Bridport and Dorchester and the A354 through Weymouth.

They said local traffic may also use the lanes between the A35 and the coast for journeys around the works.

Users of bus services, which will be unavoidably affected, are advised to contact the service operator.