LONG-awaited £840,000 roadworks to resurface part of a major route between Cleckheaton and Heckmondwike are to begin on Monday.

Kirklees Council is advising drivers that they face eight weeks of disruption when the essential works on the A638 in Liversedge are under way.

Work will take place outside of the morning and evening rush hours, but motorists are still being advised to leave additional time for their journeys.

Cleckheaton councillor Kath Pinnock welcomed the works, saying Liberal Democrats in the town had been calling for something to be done about the state of the road surface since major gas mains replacement works were carried out in 2013.

Councillor Pinnock said: "I'm really pleased the work is going to be done. It was originally supposed to take place in October.

"The surface is in a terrible state for an A-road, with pot holes and patching. It's something that we have been pushing for since the gas works took place.

"If we don't do anything the state of the road surface would deteriorate even further and become dangerous."

She added: "We can't complain about crumbling roads and then complain about disruption when the work is being done."

The resurfacing work is to start on Monday between Manor Park Road and Leeds Road, and is expected to finish by Friday, April 22.

One section of the A638 between Ings Road and Leeds Road will be completely closed to traffic on Sundays between 8am and 5pm. A diversion will be in place.

The remaining sections will stay open and temporary traffic lights will be in operation.

Work will take place from Knowler Hill to Ings Road between 9.30am and 3.30pm and from Manor Park Road to Knowler Hill between 6.30pm and 11pm.

The scheme, which covers a 1.78 km stretch of Bradford Road, is estimated to cost £840,000 with the funding coming from a Local Transport Plan grant.

When the works were approved by the council's cabinet in September, it was recognised that the scheme was likely to cause "significant difficulties for local businesses, residents and through traffic" and officers pledged to discuss ways for minimising the disruption with local councillors.

These include splitting the work between daytime off-peak and twilight shifts between the hours of 7pm and 11pm and phasing the works to allow access to the maximum amount of businesses and properties to be maintained.

Protection has also been put in place for the stretch that is being resurfaced which prevents utility firms from digging up the new road surface for five years, unless in an emergency.