Felixstowe motorists have been warned that the Orwell Bridge will close from noon on Sunday (January 21) due to high winds predicted from Storm Isha.

The decision to close the bridge at noon has been taken to allow motorists to plan alternative routes and for National Highways to safely install the closure and diversions ahead of the high winds.

The eastbound diversion will take traffic from the A14 at junction 55 Copdock Mill onto the A1214 through Ipswich before taking the second exit at Woodbridge Road roundabout onto the A1189 to Felixstowe Road.

This continues onto A1156 before rejoining the eastbound A14 at J58 Levington. The westbound diversion will take the same route in reverse.

Martin Fellows, National Highways regional director for the East, said the full closure of Orwell Bridge was only put in place when necessary, and for the safety of the travelling public.

Mr Fellows added: "We understand the inconvenience the closure of Orwell Bridge causes across the region, but our priority will always be public safety.

"The high winds we are expecting mean it would be unsafe to try and operate the bridge under those conditions.

"Throughout the closure we will continue to work with the Met Office and as soon as we are confident the bridge can be safely reopened, we will do so."

A yellow weather warning has been issued with Storm Isha set to hit the Felixstowe area on Sunday, in what will be a widely windy day for the UK.

Many places are likely to see gusts of 50-60mph, even inland. Near coasts there will be widespread gusts of 60-70mph, possibly reaching 80 mph in a few places.

Chief Meteorologist, Dan Suri, said: "Storm Isha will bring strong winds to the whole of the UK through Sunday and into Monday. The areas of particular concern are reflected by a large Amber severe weather warning which covers Northern Ireland, central and southern Scotland, Wales, much of northern England as well as southwestern parts of England. 

"In these regions we could see gusts frequently between 50-60mph and even up to 80mph in exposed coastal locations. As the storm starts to move away on Monday morning very strong winds will also develop in the far southeast of England, bringing the risk of 70-80mph gusts here too in the early hours of Monday morning. 

"Storm Isha will bring a disruptive spell of weather to the UK with strong winds across the whole country. Heavy rain will cause additional hazards, particularly in the west. A number of severe weather warnings for rain have also been issued. Keep up to date with the Met Office warnings and pay close attention to guidance from your local authority."