Councillors have said road closures across the town must be better co-ordinated over the coming months, with Dalehouse Lane expected to be shut for up to 14 months for HS2 works.

The road into Kenilworth - which is currently in the middle of two, one-month closures - will eventually have a new bridge built for it to cross the HS2 line.

Speaking at the most recent Kenilworth Town Council meeting, leader of the council Cllr James Kennedy updated members saying the eventual major closure will stretch even longer than first thought.

And the Green councillor said it means local councils and HS2 cannot allow Coventry Road to be closed at the same time, warning there would be a massive impact on local roads if it was shut.

"The headlines are we are looking at potentially a 14-month closure of Dalehouse Lane, and that will have obviously significant impact on not just our ward but also the rest of town," Cllr Kennedy explained.

He added: "In particular - and as previous councillors have said on a number of occasions - the A429 Coventry Road should not be closed during the closure of Dalehouse Lane, otherwise we will have major traffic problems."

The first month-long closure of Dalehouse Lane was due to finish on Friday (October 6), with the road reopening again until the start of November, before once again being shut off until December 1.

The speed limit along Dalehouse Lane has also been reduced from 50mph to 30mph until early 2024.

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And while the new bridge will include a new cycle lane, councillors have also been told HS2 will not be responsible for extending this beyond the new crossing.

"Something we need to think about for this council, is the new overbridge where Dalehouse Lane crosses the HS2 line, will have a five-metre cycle path," Cllr Kennedy said.

"But that will only extend to the full extent of the bridge crossing - which leaves a gap along Dalehouse Lane which is not the safest cycleway."

His advice was that the council began applying for funding now, and began pressing for designs for new cycleways, in the hope these could be completed alongside the new bridge.

Councillors are yet to be told exactly when the 14-month closure will begin.