Controversial roadworks which will close a busy road outside Ipswich station could continue until the beginning of September, it has emerged.

Ranelagh Road, between the station and Ancaster Road, will be closed for seven weeks from February 20 until April 9 as Suffolk County Council updates traffic lights in the area and National Grid installs a new gas main.

Now it has emerged that Anglian Water will be following this work by installing a new sewer under the same road in a six-week operation, set to start in May.

While the work is unlikely to require a total road closure, there will be temporary traffic lights so one lane of the carriageway can be closed at a time.

The county council will not move in to reinstate the road surface until the Anglian Water work is complete – possibly in August, but with the aim of being completed by the time schools restart in September.

Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for transport, James Finch, said: “We were determined to co-ordinate these works so we don’t have the situation where we finish our work, resurface the road and then have Anglian Water digging it up again a few weeks later.

“After we have finished all our work at the end of April we will ensure the road is safe and usable and temporary markings will be painted but it will not be resurfaced.

“We will move on to finish the work later, possibly in August. It will take a few nights of overnight work. Whatever happens I want to ensure it is done before the schools go back in September.”

Anglian Water is carrying out work to replace a sewage main in the heart of Ipswich – there have been recent sewer collapses which have caused serious problems in the town centre, particularly when Grafton Way/Commercial Road had to be closed for a week.

The company has brought forward the first phase of the work, under Ranelagh Road, to ensure that this section of road can be resurfaced by the autumn.

Anglian Water’s work cannot be carried out at the same time as the National Grid work because of the dangers posed by working on two utilities simultaneously.

Mr Finch said he was satisfied that the work could all be carried out within a few weeks to ensure that the town’s infrastructure was up to date.