Essential highway maintenance work is scheduled to take place throughout June as part of Rutland's annual surface dressing programme.

Surface dressing helps to restore and preserve the quality of local roads by applying a protective layer of bitumen and compressed stone chippings along sections of the highway network. This helps to make the roads waterproof and keeps them in a good condition for longer.

Surface dressing prevents the onset of more severe and costly road damage, caused over time by water, winter weather and general wear and tear. It also helps to restore friction to the road surface, reducing the risk of accidents caused by skidding vehicles.

Works to remove road studs, apply surface dressing and then repaint road markings will take place at the following locations throughout June, with some remaining into July: 

• Barnsdale: 14th & 29th June
• Barrowden: 15th & 23rd June
• Burley on the Hill: 14th & 30th June
• Edith Weston: 14th & 27th June
• Empingham: 13th & 24th of June
• Great Casterton: 13th & 22nd June
• Ketton: 14th & 23rd June
• Little Casterton: 13th & 21st June
• Manton: 15th & 22nd June
• Morcott: 15th & 28th June
• Ryhall: 13th & 20th June
• Seaton: 15th June & 1st July
• Uppingham: 15th June & 2nd July

Advisory speed limits of 20mph will be in place for two weeks wherever surface dressing work has been carried out.

Councillor Rosemary Powell, Cabinet Member for Planning, Highways and Transport at Rutland County Council, said: "Surface dressing is an important part of our highway maintenance programme. We do it because it helps to protect the road and reduces the need for more costly and disruptive maintenance work in the future. 

"We carry out surface dressing during in the summer months because it needs warm, dry conditions to produce the best results. We will work as quickly as possible to minimise the disruption for road users. However, dates may change depending on the weather."

The works will take place under a series of temporary road closures.

Full details, including affected roads, can be found online.