Overnight closures of a section of the northbound A12 will begin at 9pm today (4 January).

The schedule of closures by Highways England will allow staff to carry out investigations in preparation of the A12 road-widening scheme.

The northbound carriageway will be closed between junctions 19 (Boreham) and 25 (Marks Tey) from 9pm until 5am every day from today until Friday, 15 January (ending at 5am on 15 January).

A diversion route will be in place along the A120/ A131/ A130. Traffic can still travel southbound on the A12.

Live traffic information can be found on the Traffic England website by following the link here or on Twitter: @highwaysEAST. Drivers should plan ahead and allow more time for their journeys.

The next phase of surveys will be to carry out archaeology trial trenching, which is planned for March 2021.

A spokesperson for Highways England said: "The investigations will give engineers a clearer picture of the type of soils, rock and groundwater beneath the broad area of the proposed new road.

"You can expect to see survey vehicles and equipment in operation on and close to the A12, but this is not the start of any construction work to widen the A12."