DIVERSIONS will be in place this week as work continues to replace a road bridge over a river.

Work is taking place to relocate the temporary Deerness Bridge to allow safe working to repair the permanent structure.

It mean the bridge, which links Ushaw Moor and New Brancepeth over the River Deerness, will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.

Durham County Council says diversions will be in place during the closure and some public transport services will be affected.

Non-HGV traffic is being redirected via Station Road, Broom Lane, Front Street in Langley Moor, Sleetburn Lane and Rock Terrace.

Broadgate Road will have a temporary one-way and weight restriction for the duration of the closure.

HGV traffic is being diverted through Brandon and Neville’s Cross via the B6300 and A167.

The Scarlet Band 47 and Arriva 48 bus services will be affected and a free shuttle bus will be in operation.

The council is working with Durham Community Business College to transport pupils to and from New Brancepeth while the bridge is closed.

Work started in July to replace the bridge, which was found to have significant weaknesses during a structural review in 2016.

For full details of the road closures and shuttle buses visit www.durham.gov.uk/deernessbridge.