WORK at Poole's Hunger Hill junction is set to intensify next week - and drivers are being urged to allow extra time for their journeys.

The £11.7m scheme, which is scheduled to take nine-months to complete, will see the layout of the junction completely redesigned.

Borough of Poole (BOP) says the project is being carried out to support future development in Townside, where eventually 5,000 new homes could be constructed.

Contractors started on site on Monday (Oct 8), and few traffic delays have been reported so far.

BOP cabinet member for transport Cllr Ian Potter explained: "The contractor has started on site and is currently setting up their works compound and clearing the site.

"This involves the removal of the central reservation and traffic islands by Asda and West Quay Road over the coming days to give sufficient space to move traffic around during the ongoing works. This activity is currently having minimal impact on traffic."

However, Cllr Potter said work will "ramp up" over the course of this week, with more traffic management measures put in place next week.

"This will cause some unavoidable disruption to road users and we would encourage drivers to allow extra time for their journeys or use alternative routes where possible."