Delays expected on London Road in Leicester for the rest of the month

Motorists are being warned to expect delays along London Road in Leicester for the rest of the month due to a project to replace gas pipes.

Work starts tomorrow on the last phase of work to dig up the road's gas pipes and replace them with new plastic tubing.

It will involve a 60-metre stretch from the University Road junction into the city and is expected to carry on until Thursday, February 28.

Temporary traffic lights will be operating during the roadworks, some pedestrian crossings and parking bays will be temporarily suspended and diversions will be in place.

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National Grid has been working in London Road at the Victoria Park end but this last stretch of work is expected to have a bigger impact on traffic.

Manu Madhani, whose firm Manu Export Service is on London Road, said: "I drive in down London Road from my home in Evington every day and for me there's no alternative route.

"I already waste a lot of time in traffic and I think it's going to be quicker to walk in."

Darren Harvey, 32, who works in Leicester and commutes in from Oadby each day, said: "There are other ways to get into town but I can't imagine how they're going to cope when London Road is being dug up."

Marlis Brown, 56, commutes from Wigston into work at the city end of London Road.

She said: "I usually come along University Road so I'll have to find another route to work.

"When London Road has problems it has an impact on Welford Road, which I use to get in from Wigston.

"That can be horrendous sometimes and it can take an hour to get to work."

National Grid said the pipes should last until almost the end of the century and that residents and businesses along the road would benefit from safer and more reliable gas supplies.

Construction engineer John Orton said: "This is a busy part of Leicester's road network and we advise drivers to allow extra time for their journey where possible or to find an alternative route.

"It will be a short term inconvenience for long-term benefit.

"We have worked closely with Leicestershire City Council's highways department to minimise disruption to road users."

He said National Grid had planned the work carefully and that engineers were likely to be working extra hours at weekends to finish the job as soon as possible.