These bird's-eye view photographs show how the first steps in laying the road surface on the £47m A140 Long Stratton bypass have begun.

The 2.4-mile road, to the east of the town, is due to open at the end of the next year, with contractors saying construction is on track.

Preliminary work started at the beginning of this year, with the main construction under way in late May.

And, as these photographs by aerial photographer Mike Page show - the sub base for the road itself is now being laid.

The ground which the carriageway will be built on has been compacted, while the excavation of drainage ponds is almost complete.

Construction of the Long Stratton BypassConstruction of the Long Stratton bypass (Image: MIKE PAGE)

Paul Browne, project director for Octavius Infrastructure, which is building the bypass on behalf of Norfolk County Council, said: "Construction remains on schedule. Excavation of all drainage ponds are nearing completion.

"Piling works and pile cap construction, needed to support the two bridges which will pass over the new bypass, are under way and will continue into the coming weeks.

"Eighty per cent of all earthworks are also complete and in some areas we have started to lay the sub base for the road surface which can be seen in the picture."

When complete, the bypass will start at a new roundabout junction at Church Lane to the north and will re-join the existing A140 near Oakside Farm to the south.

The project is linked to plans for 1,800 homes in the town - and groundwork where they would be built has also begun.

The government announced in 2021 that it would give £26.2m towards the road, but the bill has risen to £46.9m.

The rest of the funding comes from a £14.5m commitment from the Greater Norwich Growth Board, local developer contributions and the Community Infrastructure Levy - a charge on developers.

There had been suggestions the road could get extra money after the northern leg of the HS2 rail route was scrapped, but that has not materialised.