A new £50 million motorway junction near Severn Beach which has been dubbed 'Britain's most expensive dead end' is set to finally be opened - but not for at least another year, councillors say.

The M49 road was supposed to connect the Western Approach Distribution Park with the motorway and was completed in late 2019.

Firms using the distribution park include Amazon, Tesco, Lidl, Next, DHL and The Range.

But two years later no traffic is using it and motorists that drive down the motorway junction come to a dead-end - as no link road has been built.

This week South Gloucestershire Council claimed it had made an "important step forwards".

The decision was made "to approve the officer recommendations to deliver the link road to join the new M49 junction with the local highway network".

But Pilning and Severn Beach parish councillor Peter Tyzack doesn't have high hopes for the project - saying it will be "lucky" if it's open by Christmas 2022.

He said: ''All the traffic that would be going on the motorway is coming through the villages, which is a nightmare for us.

"From the day they dig the first turf, it'll be 12 months before the road can be opened. We'll be lucky if we get it open for next Christmas."

The new junction would be the only one on the M49 - which links the M5 at Avonmouth with the Prince of Wales Bridge.

A South Gloucestershire Council spokesperson said: "At their meeting on October 11, our cabinet agreed an approach with the Department for Transport and National Highways that will help the delivery of the M49 link road.

"This decision is an important step forwards and will allow us to progress work with our partners in delivering the M49 link to unlock the significant benefits that it will bring to South Gloucestershire, local communities and the wider region."