A string of road closures will hit Brooksby’s Walk and Chatsworth Road in Homerton for five months while aging gas mains are ripped out.

Workers will dig up the street from Monday, beginning at the junction with Brooksby’s Walk and further up the street at the Fletching Road junction. Temporary traffic lights will be put in place around each set of roadworks to allow two-way traffic to pass while one lane is shut.

Work will shift to five other points up and down Chatsworth Road until it closes completely in both directions between Homerton Grove and Barnabas Terrace for two and a half months. That will start in the second week in May.

It will see traffic diverted away from Chatsworth Road between Powerscroft Road and Homerton High Street.

The work is happening because Cadent – which used to be called National Grid Gas Distribution – says it needs to replace the old metal gas mains with new, “more durable” ones.

In a letter to neighbours dated February 9, the firm wrote: “The programme will reduce the amount of unplanned work on our gas network and is essential to provide safe and reliable energy to the people in our communities running businesses, schools and homes.”

Homes and businesses were invited to a drop-in session at St Barnabas Church today.