If you want to drive from Gloucester to Hartpury this evening then you had better check your fuel levels.

Because tonight is the night that roadworks are set to begin on a mile-long stretch of the A417 near Maisemore that will shut the road for four nights.

A diversion for all vehicles to use has been put in place, but it's a bit of a whopper.

To avoid the mile-long stretch of roadworks, drivers are being advised to take the scenic route across two different counties.

A trip out to Herefordshire to Ross-on-Wye will begin the route, before swinging into a northerly direction and arriving on the outskirts of Ledbury.

From there the Herefordshire leg of the journey ends, and you will be able to wave to the good folk of Gloucestershire before heading back to where you were cut off.

In total, the diversion comes in at 40.2 miles and will take just over an hour, according to google maps.

In a letter to local residents, David Hicks, Gloucestershire County Council's structural maintenance team manager said he "appreciated that the closure would be inconvenient."

"We have planned the work so we can be in and out as quickly as possible and have tried to do it at a time that will minimise any inconvenience," he said.

The letter adds: "We have created an official diversion route which will be signposted and is suitable for all vehicles that would normally use the closed road.

"We appreciate you may know an alternative route, however please be aware alternative routes which are outside of the road closure area are used at driver's discretion."

The Council say the closure will be in place from 7pm to 7am from Thursday, January 23 to Tuesday, January 28, excluding weekends.