Work to improve a busy High Wycombe crossroads costing £750,000 is set to get underway next month - in a bid to cut congestion for drivers.

New pedestrian crossings, improvements to traffic lights and a ban on heavy vehicles are part of the planned works at Cressex Link, which will get underway on January 21.

Two new left-hand turns from Cressex Road will be introduced - which Bucks County Council says will make it easier for drivers to get to Cressex business park and the link road towards John Hall Way.

Traffic light improvements will give north-south priority to traffic from the business park in a bid to cut queues at evening peak times.

A 7.5 tonne weight limit will also be introduced, meaning heavy lorries will not be able to use Cressex Road.

Traffic islands will also be removed and four new puffin pedestrian crossings will be installed.

The county council says it will be working with the nearby Chepping View Academy in a bid to reduce congestion at the school entrance while the work is ongoing - including encouraging parents to drop their children off further away from the school.

Mark Shaw, deputy county council leader and transport chief, said the improvements would benefit journey times for business park workers, making it easier to leave in the evening.

He said: "I know how difficult it is for drivers queueing to leave the business park in the evening, and while this scheme will be a great improvement for them, I'm afraid it's not a panacea. We won't be able to create the traffic flows that staggered finishing times would bring.

"I'm delighted for residents in Cressex Road, whose lives will be improved when we eliminate heavy lorries from their road."

Work will start on January 21 and will not finish until early May.

A short section of Cressex Road either side of the junction will be closed all day, from January 21, so contractors can work safely.

Between 9.30am and 3.30pm temporary traffic lights will control a north-south lane closure, and if this needs to continue into peak hours, lights will be controlled manually to maintain traffic flows.

The junction will close completely from 7pm to 6am between Monday, January 21 and Friday, February 1, to allow traffic islands to be removed, and between Tuesday, April 23, and Friday, May 3, for resurfacing.

Cllr Shaw said the work will cause disruption and apologised to drivers and residents.

He said: "I appreciate these measures will affect the lives of residents and business park workers, and I apologise in advance.

"We looked at other ways of working, and they either cost much more or risked a poorer quality job."