³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Drivers have been warned of long delays during the first planned weekend closure of a section of the M25.

People should only travel on Britain's busiest motorway if necessary from the evening of Friday 15 March to Monday 18 March, National Highways said.

It added that the closure, between junction 10 and junction 11, is likely to also impact surrounding roads.

Travellers affected could include people going to Gatwick and Heathrow Airports and the Channel ports.

People travelling to London for holidays, sport and concerts could also face disruption to journeys, said National Highways, which manages and maintains Britain's major roads.

This is the first time a section of the M25 motorway, which encircles the capital, will be entirely shut for a weekend.

Work to demolish a bridge and install a gantry will be carried out on the section between Wisley and Chertsey.

The closure next week will be the first of five between now and September as part of a £317m project.

Heavy congestion is expected on other parts of the M25 and surrounding motorways, with more than 200,000 vehicles thought to be impacted.

People should allow extra time for journeys and find alternative travel arrangements, National Highways said.

"Drivers should only use the M25 if their journey is absolutely necessary," added Jonathan Wade, National Highways project lead.

"We have spent months planning for these closures and making sure there are diversion routes in place, but there will still be heavy congestion and delays."The carriageway between junctions nine and 11 typically carries between 4,000 and 6,000 vehicles per hour in each direction between 10:00 and 21:00 on a weekend.