ACCESS to the Birkenhead Tunnel will be restricted this weekend as work continues to remove footbridges by the Churchill Way flyovers.

Drivers will not be able to access to Birkenhead Tunnel if coming from the direction of M62/Islington, although both tunnels will be open.

Hunter Street will be closed from 7pm on Friday, September 13 until 6am on Monday, September 16.

Road diversions will be in place around the city centre but the public are being urged to use public transport.

Merseytravel are advising that these diversions, as well as congestion, engineering works on the Merseyrail network and minor changes to some bus routes could cause delays.

People travelling into and out of the city centre are advised to leave extra time for their journeys.

Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet member for Highways, Councillor Sharon Connor said: “The removal of the Churchill Way footbridges has gone very smoothly to date and we’re thankful to motorists for their patience whilst these works take place.

“This weekend’s road closure of Hunter Street is going to cause disruption, especially given the impact to traffic coming from the M62 and the fact that Liverpool FC are at home.

“Unfortunately these scenarios are unavoidable on such a complex scheme but a lot of thought has gone into the methodology to ensure the inconvenience to city centre traffic and surrounding buildings is kept to a minimum.

“Public transport will always be the best option for these weekend closures and we urge people to plan ahead when thinking about journeys to the city centre at these times.”

With Liverpool's home game against Newcastle United on Saturday, Wirral fans are being advised to use the Wallasey Tunnel.

The removal of the footbridges, which were used to access Liverpool John Moores University’s Byrom Street campus, will be completed on Wednesday, 18 September.

Once the deconstruction is completed in December, alterations will be made to the highway layout around the Hunter Street – Byrom Street – Birkenhead Tunnel entrance, to improve traffic and pedestrian routes.