A major gas project which is causing some disruption in Weymouth is continuing.

Gas distribution company SGN is three weeks in to 'safety-critical work' to upgrade its network around the junction of Westwey Road, Abbotsbury Road and Swannery Bridge.

The company says the work, costing £140,000, needs to go ahead now, rather than wait until the pandemic passes, to ensure the community 'continues to receive a safe and reliable gas supply'.

Work will continue for a further two weeks.

It is causing some disruption – the path down to the subway from Corscombe Close near St Joseph's Church is blocked off meaning pedestrians heading towards the town centre either have to run the gauntlet crossing Westwey Road to get to Westham Bridge, or crossing Abbotsbury Road and joining the subway path on the Weymouth Way side. Cyclists must also follow a diversion.

Temporary traffic lights have replaced the signals at the crossroads to enable the company to work safely. 

Work on the pedestrian path in Corscombe Close was due to be completed on May 19.

However SGN spokesman Waseem Hanif said: "Our work (at this location) is more complex than originally thought due to the underground location of other utilities. To prevent damage, our teams are digging by hand which means progress on this phase has been slower.

"However, our overall work including at the junction of Westwey Road, Abbotsbury Road and Swannery Bridge is progressing well and we hope, all going well, to complete this project by June 11 as we originally planned.

"We’d like to thank the Weymouth community for their ongoing understanding and patience."

SGN said replacing gas mains will allow the network to cope with higher gas demands in the local area.

It said there shouldn’t be any interruption to gas supplies during the project and engineers won’t need to visit homes.

Spokesman Waseem Hanif added: "We’re working closely with UK Government and public health bodies to make sure we work safely and in line with expert advice during the coronavirus outbreak. We have extra safety precautions in place to protect our colleagues and our customers from catching or spreading the virus as we carry out our safety-critical project."