Major roadworks to upgrade a Chester city centre junction will begin on Monday.

Cheshire West and Chester Council has said the eight-week roadworks will lead to the closure of the top of Lower Bridge Street, between the junction of Pepper Street and La Fattoria restaurant, as part of upgrades to traffic signals.

The road closure will take effect from Monday, September 23 – after the final Chester races meeting this Saturday and after the one-week overnight road closure on Grosvenor Bridge, where repairs have begun this week.

The road will only be open during that four-week period on Sunday, October 6, for the MBNA Chester Marathon runners who will be heading from Pepper Street down Lower Bridge Street and out of the city.

CWaC has now also confirmed bus services will be affected.

Providing details on its website, the local authority said: "Services 16 and 61 will be unable to serve Handbridge for the duration of this closure. These services will operate to and from the city centre via Grosvenor Bridge.

"A limited service will be provided to the Eccleston Avenue area of Handbridge on service 62 by approaching from Overleigh Road in both directions."

A spokesperson for CWaC added: "The work is being carried out due to the signals being at the end of their shelf life."

Preparation works have already taken place in advance of the works and the council is to provide further updates of which roads will be closed during the works.

The small Friars Gate road, off Grosvenor street by the junction, will be closed, while there will be lane closures on Grosvenor Street and Pepper Street approaching the box junction.

For the duration of the Lower Bridge Street works, traffic will be diverted via Grosvenor Bridge and Overleigh Road.