Southampton residents will be affected by a track closure in Basingstoke over the May Bank Holiday weekend.

The two-day closure, on Sunday, May 4, and Monday, May 5, will see Network Rail engineers replace the track running through Platform 4 at Basingstoke station, as well as between Fleet and Farnborough stations.

The 'third' electric rail at Farnborough will also be renewed.

Additional work includes enhancing the electric current supply to the railway west of Basingstoke, testing and commissioning new power cables between Winchester and Worting Junction, and strengthening the embankment near Hook.

Track replacement and embankment stabilisation will also be carried out in the Bramley area.

Engineers will remove 220 tonnes of scrap material from the railway for recycling.

The changes to train services on May 4 and May 5 will see South Western Railway services from London Waterloo to Weymouth - including those from Southampton Central - divert via Guildford and Havant.

Other long-distance SWR services will start from Winchester/Eastleigh.

CrossCountry services will also divert via Guildford and Havant.

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Mark Goodall, Wessex Route Director for Network Rail, said: "We appreciate that these closures, especially in an area such as Basingstoke, are incredibly inconvenient to passengers and we apologise for the inconvenience this will cause.

"Generally, we see lower passenger numbers over Bank Holiday Weekends, which is why we complete this work at times like these.

"I encourage passengers to check with their train operator before they travel and please plan ahead."

Alex Hills, Reading Station Manager for Great Western Railway, said: "We would like to thank our customers in advance for their patience while important improvement work is carried out.

"But please do check before you travel, as the bus replacement journey will take a little longer than our train service."

A South Western Railway spokesperson added: "Our colleagues at Network Rail are set to carry out vital maintenance at locations across our network, affecting both short and long-distance services.

"Journey times may be longer and rail replacement buses will operate, so it’s important that customers plan their journeys in advance and check before travelling."