BOURNEMOUTH town centre is to be hit by disruption as a 100-year-old water main is replaced this autumn.

The disruption, which begins on Monday, October 8, will leave part of Old Christchurch Road to St Peter's Road in Beales Place closed for three weeks.

Around 160 metres of mains is to be laid in the town centre although pedestrians will still be able to pass through as normal.

Roger Harrington, Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water's technical director, said: "The old main has become unreliable with recent incidents of leaks which have caused flooding to some shop basements. We have decided to renew the main with a larger one to cope with development and growth."

But shop traders fear that there is trouble in the pipeline as it may affect their sales as they come up to the busy Christmas period.

Donna Metcalfe, sales assistant at Thorntons in Old Christchurch Road said: "It will definitely affect our trade. If there's noise and workers then people will be deterred and shop at the other end of town."

Alvin Snell, from the Early Learning Centre, said: "People will see that the road is shut and won't be bothered to walk round. So we are expecting it to get quieter. Recently, we had building work outside and people just assumed the shop was closed."

However, a spokesman for Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water said: "The work will definitely not continue through December or January so will not affect Christmas shopping or the January sales."