Operation Brock will be lifted on the M20 this weekend - but a 50mph limit will remain in place on both carriageways.

Drivers have had to put up with the contraflow system between Junction 8 for Leeds Castle and Junction 9 for Ashford since July.

But the scheme will be removed overnight on Saturday as highways bosses say the risk of disruption over the peak summer season has now eased.

The system came into force on July 10 to manage the flow of freight traffic going across the Channel via Eurotunnel and the Port of Dover.

Sean Martell, from National Highways, said: “Recently, we have all seen how busy Kent roads have been due to the cross-Channel travel disruption, which has seen the deployment of Operation Brock.

"We are grateful for people’s patience while the contraflow system has been in place; it has enabled us to keep Kent moving.

"We will remove the contraflow overnight on Saturday, with the M20 reopening on Sunday morning.

"We will however leave the barrier out on the London-bound carriageway for the safety of our workforce while we continue our work in the central reservation.”

Highways bosses are upgrading the central reservation to allow the concrete barrier – which is used to make the contraflow – to be stored there.

But the works are not expected to be completed until at least until early next year, meaning the 50mph limit and lane restrictions will remain in place.

“Storing the moveable barrier on the M20 London-bound hard shoulder was only a temporary measure," Mr Martell added.

"Moving the structure to the central reservation will allow the hard shoulder between Ashford and Maidstone to be re-instated to its original width.”

During the works, an "extensive" drainage upgrade for the central reservation will also be carried out, bosses say.

Simon Jones, strategic lead at the Kent Resilience Forum, said: “KRF partners promised our residents, businesses and hauliers we would keep the use of Brock under continual review and remove it as soon as it was practical to do so.

“With the summer getaway now coming to an end we are able to safely deliver on our pledge.

“We will continue to work together and use traffic management, our current best available option, to do everything we can to keep Kent moving, and open for business, and communities protected from the worst impacts of disruption. As always, I thank everyone for their continued patience.”

The contraflow will be removed overnight from 8pm on Saturday, with the coastbound M20 between Junctions 7 and 9 and London-bound M20 between Junctions 9 and 8 reopened to two lanes by 6am on Sunday.