THE B3224 to the west of Luckwell Bridge will be closed between 8am and 5pm for six weeks from Monday while drainage improvements are carried out by Somerset County Council.

Highways chiefs are hoping the upgrade will help to protect the road surface, which has been repeatedly damaged due to run-off and flooding caused by blocked drains.

The county council has secured funding from central Government to install larger drainage pipes and make improvements to roadside gullies.

A spokesman for the council said the B3224 would be closed between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, while the work was carried out, with the road open to all traffic in the evenings and at weekends.

The road will be resurfaced once the work has been completed - with more temporary road closures in force between 8am and 5pm from March 17 to 21.

Diversions will be put in place, with vehicles travelling from the west directed through Winsford to the A396 at Coppleham Cross.

From there, small vehicles will be directed north to Wheddon Cross, while large vehicles over 17.5 tonnes will be directed south to Machine Cross, near Dulverton, and then left up Bury Hill to rejoin the B3224 at Heathpoult Cross.

Cllr Harvey Siggs, the council's cabinet member with responsibility for highways, said: "We appreciate that this work will be disruptive at times but we hope that the final result in terms of improved road quality and better drainage will be worth it.

"This is the second major investment in West Somerset in recent months following the improvement of the drainage system on the A39 at Bilbrook late last year.

"That project has proven to be extremely successful, holding up well to recent bad weather, and we hope the work at Luckwell Bridge will have a similar effect.

"In the meantime we would like to thank residents and visitors to Exmoor for their patience and support."