18 February 2013 Last updated at 11:03 ET

Reading's Friar Street resurfacing work begins

Severe winter weather has caused the road surface in Friar Street to crack

A six-foot deep hole is being dug to discover why large cracks have appeared in the surface of a town centre street.

Reading Borough Council said severe winter weather was to blame for the deterioration of the surface in Friar Street over the last month.

Resurfacing and underground repair work in the street began earlier and is expected to last up to five days.

Friar Street, a main bus route in the town, will be closed between Greyfriars Road and Station Road.

Buses which use the street will be diverted with temporary bus stops provided.

The work will involve digging out and reconstructing the road surface, adjusting manhole covers and drains, replacing road markings and repairing road gullies and surface water connections.