WORK has begun on widening the Dartford stretch of the M25.

Contractors Costain Ltd started the next phase of their major road improvement scheme on Monday.

They are widening the M25 to four lanes in each direction between junctions two and three. The project also involves widening the motorway between junctions 1b and 2 from two lanes to three. Completion is scheduled for Autumn 2008.

Costain is holding a public exhibition at Sutton-At-Hone village hall, on June 29, from 3pm to 9pm and June 30, from 10am to 4pm.

The contractors have begun replacing plug joints on Littledale Viaduct, the new flyover for A2 traffic heading for the Dartford Crossing.

* You can contact Martin Griffiths, Costain community relations manager, on 0845 603 6374.