MOTORISTS face lengthy detours this weekend as the A7 will be closed from Friday evening outside Selkirk.

And bus passengers in the town will need to use a shuttle service to reach the X95 - Edinburgh and Carlisle - service.

The closure, which will last until 5am on Monday, is to allow for water pipes to be laid beneath the carriageway.

Scott Fraser, regional communities manager at Scottish Water, said: “We apologise for any disruption this temporary road closure and use of traffic lights will cause."

A diversion route from Ladylands in Selkirk and the Mart Street roundabout in Hawick will take traffic via the A68 and A689.

Bosses at Borders Busses have re-routed the X95 service throughout the weekend closure.

And it will use a diversion through Denholm and St Boswells before rejoining the A7 at Kingsnowes roundabout outside Galashiels.

It is expected the diversion will add around 10 minutes onto journey times.

A spokesman for Borders Busses said: "We are operating a shuttle bus between Galashiels and Selkirk for connections via Galashiels Interchange for onward travel.

"The shuttle will operate hourly over the weekend on Saturdays this will be complimented by the 73's half hourly service.

"All bus stops on the normal X95 route in Selkirk will be served, but the shuttle is not a free bus it is an addition of the X95 and normal fares apply."