WORRIED residents in Portchester have been assured their homes will not have to make way for a planned multi-million-pound project to turn the M27 into an eight-lane superhighway.

Highways bosses say no extra land will be needed to widen the motorway between junction 11 at Fareham and junction 12 at Portsmouth.

They revealed the good news during a meeting with Fare-ham MP Mark Hoban, who had called for talks after receiving a bumper postbag from people in the town concerned about the impact of the jambusting proposals.

A new crawler lane for lorries will be created in a bid to speed up traffic on the congested section between Fareham and Portsmouth.

The £117m traffic scheme will also see an extra lane added to each side of the three-lane carriageway past Rownhams services between junctions three with the M271 and four with the M3.

It forms part a £7 billion package of congestion-easing road schemes across the UK announced by Transport Secretary Alistair Darling last July in a ten-year travel plan blueprint.

Mr Hoban said: "The Highways Agency has assured me that, to complete the works, no more land will be needed and there is no need to widen the cutting between junctions 11 and 12, although they will have to strengthen the embankments at the foot of the hill.

"Once plans have been drawn up, there will be a chance for local people to see them and comment on them before work commences.''