LORRY drivers will be sent real-time traffic information via an app under new plans to tackle congestion on the A31.

Dorset County Council has been awarded a grant of £182,100 by the Department for Transport to improve journey times on the major route.

The money will be used to fund a variable message sign on the A31 prior to the Palmersford roundabout in Ferndown.

An app which will provide information direct into freight vehicles' cabins will also be funded.

Councillor Peter Finney, deputy leader of the county council and cabinet member for environment, infrastructure and highways, said the changes are part of a new scheme aimed at alleviating traffic issues.

"It's a really complicated problem," he said.

"The Gravel Hill improvement works have finished and we are asking Poole to route the HGVs that way so they can go up the A31 and onto the Ferndown Bypass.

"Of course, that will increase traffic on the Canford Bottom Roundabout.

"It's a challenging issue. The government has provided nearly £3 million for the A350 and C13 Dinah's Hollow.

"Currently, there are temporary traffic lights on the C13 and we are hoping to make that into a permanent route for HGVs so drivers can go one way along the A350 and the other way down C13.

"That should alleviate a lot of the bottle-necks that occur when two HGVs meet travelling in different directions."

A spokesperson from Dorset County Council said: "The grant from the DfT is to improve journey times for both freight vehicles and the wider travelling public travelling from the south east to the south west, to the coastal towns and to Ferndown Industrial Estate.

"The grant will allow the county council to work in collaboration with Highways England and other stakeholders to provide real time journey information direct to motorists via a variable message sign on the A31 prior to Palmersford roundabout.

"The app will provide information direct into freight vehicles’ cabins. The use of advanced technology and data will also allow Highways England and Dorset County Council to better manage the road network in the surrounding area."

The government's roads minister Andrew Jones said the scheme is a "cutting-edge, innovative idea that will transform journeys for passengers and motorists".

"Technology is rapidly evolving and this important work shows that if we get it right, it can cut congestion, speed up journeys, clean up the environment, and improve accessibility," he said.