MOTORISTS in Selby are set to face six months of disruption, as essential roadworks are carried out on the town’s bypass.

Repairs to the A63 Selby bypass will take place from early October, with lengths of the road being closed to traffic.

North Yorkshire County Council has announced it will make the repairs between the bypass junctions with the A1238 Leeds Road and the A19 Barlby Road between October 3 and April 2 next year, but the move has drawn criticism from the district council’s Labour leader.

Coun Steve Shaw-Wright said: “We just keep getting it, time and time again. It will be running up over Christmas when, hopefully, town will be busier with shoppers.

“The closure of the bypass will mean a lot more cars travelling through town and hopefully people will see things and stop. I think the work needs doing, but it could have been timed better.”

The closure will be staggered, with alternative routes through the town being signposted for each phase.

The first section to close, on October 3, will be between the A1238 and the A19 at Brayton, followed by the section between the A19 at Brayton and the A1041, then between A1041 and the A19 in Barlby.

In recent months, residents, traders and motorists have already dealt with closures to the A19 and the Selby swing bridge, with some believing that the frequent traffic issues would put off potential visitors to the town.

Coun Shaw-Wright said: “We don’t have to talk the town up, it sells itself.

“I have had friends up from the south east and they were really surprised with the town.

“They came up by train and thought it was going to be black and grimy with pits, but it was a pleasant surprise for them.

“I had some people down from Newcastle who thought it was a fantastic town, so it’s got a lot going for it.

“We don’t sometimes appreciate what we have got, but our major problem has always been traffic.”