QUESTIONS are being asked about why a busy Poole route was closed by flooding less than three months after major roadworks.

Traffic heading for Poole on the A35 had to be diverted after heavy floodwater near the Baker’s Arms roundabout last week.

A resident of Lytchett Minster told the Daily Echo: “They spent all that money on the roadworks and it still flooded. The traffic had to be diverted all the way through Lytchett Minster.”

Lytchett county councillor Fred Drane said he would be asking questions of Dorset County Council’s highways department.

“We did all that work digging it up and I was part of helping organise that so that it didn’t disrupt the traffic,” he said.

“When they were doing it I said: ‘Look at the Baker’s Arms area – every winter it gets flooded’. They assured me they would.

“There has to be something more that they can do.”

Roadworks closed the Baker’s Arms roundabout on the A35 for a weekend in October. They involved resurfacing the carriageway, installing cycle lanes and improving drainage.

Dave Stone, a site agent for the county council’s highways team, said in a statement: “Despite the improvements that were made to the Baker’s Arms roundabout in October, the sheer amount of rainfall we had overnight on Monday – 29.8mm recorded at Hurn – caused some disruption on the highway network, which we worked hard to overcome.

“The drainage issues at Baker’s Arms are also exacerbated by tidal events, given the proximity of Poole Harbour.”

He said the deluge shut the A35 between Bere Regis and the Baker’s Arms roundabout. The route was open as soon as the rainwater had receded and it was safe to pass.