Drivers are being warned the Orwell Bridge will close tonight at 10pm due to strong winds until around 8am tomorrow morning. Thursday morning update: the Orwell Bridge has reopened before the rush hour.

The announcement by Highways England could spell problems for Ipswich Town fans making their way home from tonight’s game against Sheffield Wednesday as well as tomorrow morning’s rush hour commuters.

Highways England tweeted: “Please be aware that the #A14 in #Suffolk will be closed at 10pm in both directions between J56 + J57 #OrwellBridge for road users safety, due to strong winds.

“This could affect @Official_ITFC @IpswichTownFans leaving the match tonight.”

The organisation had said in an earlier statement that the bridge was “likely” to be closed from 10pm tonight until 8am tomorrow morning.

The planned diversion route when the bridge is closed is via the A1156, A1189 and A1214 through Ipswich.

A yellow Met Office weather warning is in place for large parts of the country, including Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, from 9am on Wednesday to 7am on Thursday.

Drivers planning to travel tomorrow are being encouraged by Highways England to plan their journey in advance and check the latest weather and traffic conditions along the route.

A raft of additional measures are being discussed to improve the traffic impact of an Orwell Bridge closure, with an automated closure, quicker re-opening and continued use of the bridge for certain vehicle types all tabled for discussion.