National Highways bosses have said a lane closure on the Orwell Bridge will help prevent a full carriageway closure being put in place. 

A lane of the westbound carriageway of the A14 bridge, south of Ipswich, was closed at about 9pm on Friday following an announcement by National Highways.

Now National Highways has said that the safety work being carried out by engineers will help prevent a full carriageway closure from being implemented.

A spokeswoman for National Highways said: "Whilst undertaking routine inspection of the Orwell Bridge a potential defect was detected and following a specialist inspection the left-hand lane on the westbound carriage was closed on Friday evening.

“The lane closure is for safety reasons and to reduce the risk of further damage, which could potentially lead to a full closure of the carriageway. We apologise for the impact this has on local traffic and continue to advise people travelling through the section to allow additional time for their journey.

“The safety of those who work and travel on our road network is our top priority, and every effort is being made to carry out the essential and complex repair work as soon as possible.”

The lane remains closed and drivers are being forced to merge into a single lane before reaching the bridge.

The closure has caused severe delays for those travelling on the A14 and around the Ipswich area.

Ipswich Buses has said that a number of its services have been affected by the closure. 

A spokesman for the company said: "Due to the closure of one westbound lane on the Orwell Bridge, this is causing severe delays - particularly on routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6."