MAJOR work to widen a busy Basingstoke roundabout has begun.

Motorists using Winchester Road Roundabout face delays until the summer of 2017 as the £4 million project is carried out.

Hampshire County Council has appointed Colas as the main contractor of the scheme, which will see the roundabout widened along with the approach roads to accommodate more traffic.

Traffic lights will also be installed and the existing drainage network upgraded, all of which is expected to result in less congestion and hold ups during peak times and combat flooding.

To minimise delays during the construction works, the current number of lanes at the roundabout will be kept open during the morning and evening peak hours.

The roundabout, which links to the A30, is a key access route for Basingstoke, linking the town centre to the wider road network such as the A33, A339, Ringway and M3.

The improvements are hoped to provide better access for local development sites, such as the 3,000 new homes and services proposed at Manydown.

The Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership allocated £3.2million of funding towards the works, with £800,000 coming from local contributions.