A council is pleading with the public to help solve the mystery around who owns two pieces of land which could be needed for traffic schemes.

Norfolk County Council is trying to establish who owns two sections of land; one at the Daniels Road roundabout in Norwich, not far from Notcutts Garden Centre, and another at Gunton Lane in Costessey.

The council wants to find out who owns the patches of land as it considers potential highway improvement projects.

The land at the Daniels Road roundabout, where Norfolk County Council is trying to track down the ownersThe land at the Daniels Road roundabout (Image: Denise Bradley)

The ground it is interested in at Daniels Road, on the corner where it meets Newmarket Road, suggests the Conservative-controlled council could be considering further improvements at that roundabout.

The Daniels Road roundaboutThe Daniels Road roundabout (Image: Denise Bradley) The land it is concerned with at Gunton Lane is off a dead-end track which leads to the Marriott's Way footpath, the 26-mile route along a former railway line between Norwich and Aylsham.

Land at Gunton Lane in CostesseyLand at Gunton Lane in Costessey (Image: Denise Bradley)

The council stressed there was no guarantee any projects would be forthcoming from its efforts to identify the landowners, but it wants to assess potential opportunities.

Councils are able to use a legal process known as a compulsory purchase order to force owners of land needed for public improvements to sell up.

County Hall made a similar plea during the development of the £4.4m revamp of the city's Heartsease roundabout.

The council had been unable to establish who owned land on either side of Harvey Lane, in front of the Heartsease pub and the former Lloyds Bank.

The Heartsease roundabout reopened in May after months of workThe Heartsease roundabout reopened in May after months of work (Image: Mike Page)

A spokesman for Norfolk County Council said: "These notices, and the contact of landowners adjacent to highways, are part of the normal process of reviewing potential highway improvement schemes.

"The county council reviews a large number of potential schemes, and not all those that are discussed are ultimately judged as necessary or deliverable.

"Should any improvement schemes be brought forward for Newmarket Road or Gunton Lane, we will inform residents and the wider public when a decision is made."

The council asks that anybody who owns the Daniels Road or Gunton Lane land, or who knows who does, gets in touch.

They should contact officer Jennifer Batten on 01603 223673 or email her at jennifer.batten@norfolk.gov.uk