PART of Bournemouth’s main bus stop area will be closed for ‘several weeks’ while work to repair suspected voids under the road is carried out.

The southern side of Gervis Place, adjacent to the Lower Gardens, will be cordoned off from tomorrow. This will enable council workers to conduct a full survey and investigation into the recently discovered issue before making repairs.

While the work takes place, the road will be closed from the Westover Road junction to a point opposite the pedestrianised area of Old Christchurch Road. Four bus stops in the affected area (stands T, U, V, and W) will be temporarily relocated to Westover Road. Bus stops on the other side of the road are not expected to change.

The council will release further updates once the full extent of the issue is understood and repairs can be arranged.

Gary Powell, head of traffic management, said: “Unfortunately it has been discovered there are suspect voids under the road which we need to investigate. We apologise for any inconvenience the partial closure will cause, which is necessary to enable us to fully survey, explore and understand the extent of the problem.

“The road will not re-open until appropriate repairs have been completed. This is likely to be done after the festive period.”

Voids are areas where there is evidence of either loose or un-compacted ground or unfilled cavities below the existing road construction.

Morebus is providing details of changes to the bus stops for its m1, m2, 13, 16, 17, 32, 50, U4, X1, X2, X3, and X6 services.

Richard Wade, Morebus operations manager, said: “The safety of our passengers and other road users is our number one priority, and we appreciate the work Bournemouth Borough Council is doing to further investigate the suspected defects.

“We are working in close partnership with the council to ensure those travelling with us experience minimal disruption over the coming weeks and would like to thank our customers for their patience during this time. We will soon be agreeing amended ‘pick up’ locations for some services - taking into account those that are busier than others - and we will publicise any changes shortly.”

The Yellow Buses service X37 will not stop at Gervis Place, but will instead operate from Westover Rd. No other Yellow Buses stops will be affected.