The M23 is to have a series of 56-hour closures throughout March meaning it will be closed for entire weekends.

The closures will be between junction 8 Merstham and junction 10 Copthorne.

Starting on Friday, February 28, the closures will begin at 9pm every Friday before reopening at 5am the following Monday.

Each weekend the closure will affect either the northbound traffic or the southbound but never both at the same time. The details are:

Friday, February 28, until Monday, March 2: northbound junctions 10 to 8

Friday, March 6, until Monday, March 9: southbound junctions 8 to 10

Friday, March 13, until Monday, March 16: northbound junctions 10 to 8

Friday, March 20, until Monday, March 23: Southbound junctions 8 to 10

The last weekend in March is a split weekend with a northbound closure from Friday night to Saturday night and a southbound closure the rest of the weekend:

From 9pm Friday, March 27, to 1am Sunday, March 29: northbound junctions 10 to 8 (28 hours)

From 1am Sunday, March 29, to 5am Monday, March 30: southbound junctions 8-10 (28 hours).

Highways England said a fully signed diversion route will be in place to aid motorists with their journeys.

Two routes are being advised for motorists to use to avoid the closures. These are the A22 from junction 6 on the M25 which will take traffic down to Felbridge and across through Copthorne.

The A2011 from M23 junction 10 which then will lead down to a diversion around Gatwick, meet up with the A23 and head to Redhill and finally junction 7 at the M25.