CHESTER city centre motorists face major disruption in the coming weeks as crucial roadworks linked with the upcoming Northgate Development are to take place.

Cheshire West and Chester Council has written to residents and businesses informing them of site investigation work which is already under way at Castle Drive, involving the digging of so-called 'trial pits'.

The trial pits are to confirm the location of gas, electric, water and telecoms locations as well as check ground conditions for future infrastructure works, to include the upcoming Northgate Development.

It is expected there will be minor disruption caused by the closure of Castle Drive (between Grosvenor Road and the Roodee Car Park) until October 23, with more disruption caused between October 23 and October 28, when there will be a lane closure in front of the HQ building at Grosvenor Road, with work taking place at Nuns Road.

But the worst of the disruption will be caused between November 4-24, when works move to the Nicholas Street and St Martin's Way dual carriageway.

The council says the work will be done in stages, with one lane in one direction closed at a time.

However, during the works near Watergate Street, there will be no right turn into Watergate Street, near St Martin's Way, meaning motorists looking to head down there would need to loop around Grosvenor Roundabout.

All the works will take place between 6.30am and 7.30pm and will include all weekends except for November 2-3, when the fireworks display will take place at Chester Racecourse.

A council spokesperson said: "The council apologises for the disruption to journeys during this time.

"The highways teams are working very closely with the contractors to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum and traffic management will be in place.

"However, due to the location of these works, traffic congestion is inevitable especially at peak periods."

Councillor Karen Shore, deputy leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Strategic Transport, said: “The city is forward looking, and we are creating amazing places and high quality facilities for the people of Chester to enjoy such as Chester Northgate.

"New infrastructure is required to support this transformation. The site investigations will inform the most efficient methodology for the installation of a new drain.

“We’re doing all we can to keep Chester moving. I ask that you bear with us during this time and consider travelling outside of peak hours, changing your route or using public transport, such as the Park & Ride to help make your journey into the city smoother.”