BUSES are being barred from Bournemouth's 'shared space' area while the council carries out £121,000 of repair work.

The authority has issued a temporary traffic notice due to come into force today (MONDAY) banning buses from Old Christchurch Road between the junctions of Fir Vale Road and Glen Fern Road, as well as from Fir Vale Road itself.

A diversion will be put in place between via Glen Fern Road and St Peter's Road while the work to repair the road surface by Horseshoe Common is carried out. The order is scheduled to last until July 16.

The notice states: "These arrangements may be extended should works overrun or weather conditions delays operations.

"The council regrets any inconvenience to the public caused by this traffic order."

The shared space scheme, which has proved controversial with some residents and nearby businesses, was only completed three years ago.

Earlier this month the borough revealed that the road surface had experienced "premature wear", and claimed that an increase in the number of buses travelling through the junction was responsible.

Highway design and road safety manager Richard Pearson said the council had to "ensure that the road surface in Horseshoe Common is able to take this increased heavy traffic to make this area safe and durable for the future".

However this assessment was rejected by Yellow Buses and Morebus, which both said no additional services had used the route through the shared space since it was established.

Days later the council accepted the bus companies' figures, and released a new statement saying it was looking into why the road surface "has deteriorated much quicker than expected".

"At the same time the council is looking into why this has happened and despite what is reported in the media we do not yet know if it is a result of the materials, the workmanship or the specification," the statement said.

The council plans to reuse the block paving from the site elsewhere in the town, and will lay new paving slabs chemically-treated to absorb nitrous oxide in an experimental bid to reduce air pollution.

Traffic will be controlled with temporary signals during the works.