THE main road between Wantage and Oxford will be closed for an entire weekend for a bridge to be demolished.

The A338 will shut at Grove on the weekend of November 12 and 13 while the old road bridge over the railway is pulled down.

The closure comes into place at 10pm on Friday, November 11, and the road will reopen at 6am on the Monday.

During that time, traffic will be advised to take the A417 and A34.

Network Rail will also take possession of the railway beneath the bridge for part of that time to stop trains running.

The company is demolishing the bridge which used to carry the A338 over the railway and which was replaced by a new bridge which opened in June.

Network Rail built a new, higher bridge to make room for overhead electric wires on the line beneath as part of its electrification of the Great Western Mainline.

The firm will also be closing Challow Rail Bridge for two weekends in November for road surface repairs.

The bridge, which carries the A417 between Wantage and Faringdon, will shut from 10pm on Friday, November 18, to 6am on Monday, November 21.

It will shut again from 10pm on Friday, November 25, to 6am on Monday, November 28.

Traffic will be diverted via East Hanney, the A420 and the A417.

Network Rail abandoned its original plan to close the bridge for two weeks after Wantage MP Ed Vaizey raised objections.