A £150,000 project to resurface a major Poole road starts this month.

The work to resurface Parkstone Road will take place in sections - with the first stage of work due to start on Monday, January 23.

The first phase of works is scheduled to last three days and will take place from Mount Pleasant Road roundabout to the pedestrian crossing outside Maidment Court and Poole Park tennis courts.

Works will take place between 9.30am and 4pm with stop and go boards in operation in both directions to help manage traffic flow.

The car parking bays in the affected area will be closed throughout the works, although pedestrian access will be unaffected.

Bus services will be operating as usual but there may be some delays and HGVs will be asked to seek an alternative route.

The first phase of the resurfacing works will cost approximately £50,000 - with the total cost of the project expected to be approximately £150,000.

According to a spokesman for Borough of Poole the next phase of works will take place later in the year, after major gas mains replacement works in the area have been completed.

It will see the rest of Parkstone Road resurfaced as far as the Civic Centre.

John Rice, engineering manager at Borough of Poole, said: “This small section of road is already in a very poor condition and there is a real risk that we will need to carry out reactive pot hole repairs at the same time as SGN are working further down the road.

"By coordinating this work we hope to minimise the disruption to local residents and road users.

"However, as Parkstone Road is a busy road delays will be inevitable. We would encourage drivers to use alternative routes where possible while these works are carried out."

Cllr Drew Mellor, portfolio holder for transportation, said: “We undertake surveys once a year to assess the condition and structural integrity of all Poole roads.

"This information is used to determine where we target our resources, especially in light of the continued pressures on our budget.

"We are pleased to have the funding available to carry out these phased improvements to this busy road.”