THE A338 will be closed for three nights this week to allow a new 'Welcome to Bournemouth' sign to be hoisted into place.

Bournemouth council has compared the new gateway sign to the Angel of the North or Portsmouth's Sails of the South for the “high impact” welcome it will provide to motorists.

It will be secured on to the recently refurbished pedestrian footbridge above the A338 Wessex Way, close to the hospital, from Wednesday-Friday this week.

The southbound section of the A338 will be closed between 11pm and 6am and the northbound carriageway will be reduced to one lane.

A sign warning of the closures has been installed this morning. The road will be closed from the Blackwater junction with traffic diverted to the Cooper Dean roundabout.

Cllr Lawrence Williams, cabinet member for tourism, leisure and culture, said: “First impressions are everything and this is why it's important to make the gateway into our town as welcoming as possible.

“This type of signage makes a statement about our town and the community it represents as well as a significant contribution to the way an area is perceived.

“Tourism is worth over £600million to the local economy, so the more welcoming our town is, the more the likelihood is that visitors will make return trips in the future, hopefully staying for longer and spending more time and money in the borough.

“This in turn continues to boost the local economy. We are proud of our town and the new signage is a great way to greet people coming to spend time here.”

Mike Francis, president of the Bournemouth Tourism Management Board, said: “It demonstrates that we value the immeasurable contribution tourism makes to the local economy, and the signage is something the industry has been working with the council to provide for a long time, to further reflect the significance of Bournemouth as one of the UK's premier resorts.”