SIGNIFICANT delays are expected on local roads this weekend as a 145 ton boiler is moved to a paper mill in Watchet.

The boiler is 16ft wide, 16ft high and 100ft long and will be moved on Sunday, January 12.

The journey will begin at 9am when it will leave Sedgemoor Services on the M5 and travel to junction 24. From there it will head into Bridgwater on the A38, turn left onto the A39 Broadway and continue along the A39 through Williton to Washford Cross where it will turn right onto the B3190 and into the paper mill at Watchet.

Throughout the journey the load will be escorted by police. It is not known how long it will take but it could take up to seven hours to complete the move.

During the move there are likely to be significant tailbacks and motorists are advised to avoid the area and to use an alternative route if possible – including the A358 which is suitable for vehicles under 4.2m (13'9") tall.

The width and length of the load will mean that it will take up most of the road and there are very few safe places to pull the load over to allow traffic to clear. The nature of this load and the difficulty of the route mean that this load cannot be moved during the hours of darkness.