M27 drivers will face 58-mile diversion when part of the motorway closes next month

From Friday, September 28 to Monday, October 1, the M27 will be closed in both directions between Junction 3 and Junction 5 - with the main diversion route taking drivers up to Salisbury and onto the A34.

The road is being closed while two bridges over the M27 are replaced by Highways England, which says that the current bridges are '˜unable to move as originally designed' and are nearing the end of their lives '“ with cracks appearing in the concrete beams.

The £19m scheme is set to be completed by January 2020, with further motorway closures next year from April 26-29 and October 18-21.

There will be another local diversion, as well as contingency plans for emergency services.