HUDDERSFIELD'S busiest road junction has to be dug up - because it is breaking up.

A huge £250,000 repair project is to start next month at the Shore Head roundabout at Aspley.

Kirklees Council highways bosses, who announced the scheme last month, have now confirmed that material used in building the junction 15 years ago is unstable.

Resurfacing work is needed on the approaches to the busy roundabout.

When the road was widened about 15 years ago a steel slag aggregate was used in the construction.

This material is a by-product from the steel-making industry and, although approved for road construction at the time, it has since been found to be unstable.

Although it is only 150mm thick, it is now expanding and damaging the road surface.

The work next month will remove a thin layer of defective material in the road foundation of this part of Southgate and Wakefield Road before it causes further damage.

Kirklees Cabinet's member for highways, Clr Martyn Bolt, said: "This is a national problem and a small number of roads in Kirklees have been affected.

"Similar work has already taken place at Dewsbury Ring Road, Folly Hall in Huddersfield and at the Waterloo traffic lights.

"To avoid further disruption at a later date the remainder of the Shore Head roundabout and approaches will be resurfaced at the same time."

Work is programmed to start on August 6 and three lanes of outbound traffic will be closed along Southgate, next to Sainsbury's store.

All traffic will be directed via Shore Head roundabout, which will become a conventional roundabout layout, with outbound traffic on Wakefield road using the roundabout.

The changes to the layout will be temporary for two to three weeks.

The contractors will work longer hours than normal to ensure that the work is done quickly and with the minimum disruption to road users.

After this, the Wakefield Road approach to Shore Head will be resurfaced.

The first phase was deliberately timed to take place in the school holidays and after tomorrow's Rugby League Cup semi-final at the Galpharm Stadium.

Motorists are advised to avoid the Shore Head area during rush hours, if possible, while the work is going on.

The roundabout itself will be resurfaced using evening and night-time working.

The whole project should be complete in eight weeks.

The contractors are Bardon Contracting, of Skipton.