WORK ON the Forth Road Bridge has been cancelled this weekend because of forecasts of poor weather.

Drivers had been warned to expect long delays while essential maintenance got under way.

The work is being carried out in two phases at weekends from April 13 to June 18 and from September 7 to October 29. As in previous years, Forth Estuary Transport Authority has agreed to avoid the peak holiday season in July and August to lessen the impact on the tourist trade.

However, bad weather has already put the work behind schedule.

Last month bridgemaster Alastair Andrew revealed the project to resurface the northbound carriageway had not gone to plan.

During the second weekend it rained and contractors from Tarmac could not replace any of the road panels.

While the £3.8 million resurfacing work is being carried out, engineers are also installing a dehumidification system to dry out the insides of the main cables, which have suffered corrosion.

A contraflow has been in place during the maintenance project, resulting in delays of up to 90 minutes.

Mr Andrew said, “We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this cancellation. The work that we had planned requires a continuous period of good weather and the decision whether to proceed had to be taken based on the best forecast available.”