Drivers and residents face night-time noise and disruption this weekend as two footbridges are demolished to make way for a £7 million guided bus scheme.

A 400-tonne crane will be brought to Manchester Road, Bradford, to help with the demolition between 8pm on Saturday and 10am on Sunday.

Large sections of the bridges, at Reyner House flats and Bowling Old Lane, will be taken to nearby Odsal Stadium, where they will be broken up into smaller pieces for removal.

A third bridge in St Stephen's Road will be kept but the crane will also be used for the removal of overhead traffic lights in Baxandall Street and Carr Bottom Road and an overhead road gantry in Mill Lane.

The removed bridges will be replaced with traffic-signalled pedestrian crossings.

Traffic will be diverted via Rooley Avenue, Rooley Lane and Wakefield Road while the work is being carried out. There will also be signs giving diversions for people living in the area.

Outbound buses from Bradford city centre will be diverted via Senior Way, Little Horton Lane, Clarges Street, and Ransdale Road before returning to their normal route via Manchester Road. Buses going into the city centre will reverse the route.

The guided bus route is a joint project being built by Bradford Council, Metro and the First Bradford bus company.

The buses will run on tracks down the centre of the road in a scheme like the Scot Hall Road guided bus lanes in Leeds.

Traffic calming schemes are being drawn up for neighbouring streets, amid fears of rat running by motorists trying to avoid the bus route.

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, the Council's executive member for environment, said: "We apologise for the unavoidable disruption which will be caused to traffic and local residents this weekend but we are all working together to do everything possible to keep it to a minimum.

"In the long run, the inconvenience caused by the work on this scheme will be outweighed by the benefits, which will make life easier for all motorists, bus passengers, pedestrians and cyclists."

Work on the scheme began at the end of last year and is expected to be completed in November.