One of the busiest roads in Canterbury is set to be closed on Sunday.

The main route into the city, the A28, will be sealed off to allow surveys of the railway bridge at the Wincheap Roundabout to be carried out.

The thoroughfare is due to be open as usual along the main stretch from the Maidens Head pub, but there will be no through route into Canterbury.

Network Rail says the inspection will be carried out this weekend to prepare the overpass for work next month.

Spokesman Chris Denham said: “We’re sorry the Wincheap Road will be closed this Sunday.

"However, it will give us the opportunity to clean off some graffiti on our bridge and prepare for some major strengthening work we’ve got coming up in February."

The A28 will be shut on Saturday, February 6, the entirety of the following weekend and on Sunday, February 21.

During the closures, its steel girders and welding will be repaired, graffiti will be removed and a new layer of paint will be added to the overpass.

"The bridge at Wincheap is one of our older metal structures and needs some TLC to keep it carrying trains safely," Mr Denham explained.

"This weekend, we’ll be measuring up and cleaning the steelwork, and then next month we’ll be back to give it a refit and make it look as good as it did when it was built.”

The route will be shut near the bridge from 11pm tomorrow until 2am on Monday.

Drivers will be diverted along the A2 through to the outskirts of Bridge and then New Dover Road to reach Canterbury.

For motorists heading the other way, the diversion is vice-versa.

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