An entire junction on the A13 will be closed this weekend as part of the ongoing widening project.

The Orsett Cock roundabout in Thurrock will be shut from 9pm on Friday and 5am on Monday.

The approaches to the roundabout, including slip roads on the A13, will also be closed to traffic between those times.

Drivers will be able to continue to use the A13 carriageways but motorists are urged to plan their journeys in advance.

They are also urged to avoid using country roads due to restrictions.

A spokesman for Thurrock Council said: “You should not drive through Chadwell St Mary, Horndon on the Hill, Orsett, Stanford-le-Hope or Stifford Clays as an alternative to the A13, A1013 or the Orsett Cock roundabout, even if your sat nav directs you that way.

“These residential towns and villages are not suitable for diversions as they have height, width and weight restrictions.”

Measures will be in place to protect these areas during major closures for A13 widening, including:

• extra electronic and temporary signs warning drivers not to use unsuitable diversion routes

• closure of Stifford Clays Road for eastbound traffic between the A1012 North Stifford Interchange and the access road to numbers 2-24, preventing HGVs and other traffic from attempting to travel via Stifford Clays and Orsett

• a temporary one-way system in Horndon on the Hill, using Gordon Road northbound-only and Victoria Road southbound-only

• closure of Orsett Road in Horndon on the Hill in both directions between High Road (The Hole in the Wall) and Francis Close, but maintaining access to the post office, church and homes