THEY drove motorists around the bend when they were installed a little over a week ago.

But just a day after Dorset County Council officials told the Daily Echo these broken white lines were meant to look that way, they’ve been repainted – without the mysterious curve.

Council construction manager Adrian Northcombe defended the markings, daubed on the tarmac in East Borough, Wimborne, after one resident called them ‘ludicrous’.

He said: “The white lines that have been put down are replicating what was on the road before we resurfaced. “Our team has had a number of residents thank them for reinstating the curve as it helps to slow down traffic in a road that was previously considered a rat run.”

However, less than 24 hours after the story appeared in Thursday’s Echo and in national newspapers including the Daily Mail, locals noticed the lines had been redone – only this time, they were straight. When the wonky white lines first emerged driver Andy White said: “I thought the person who painted them must have been drunk.”

One resident emailed the paper to say: “The lines have been repainted straight. Well done Echo.”

A spokesman from the county council said: “The centre line road markings in East Borough, Wimborne, have always had a deviation to aid traffic management.

“After recent resurfacing work the lines were renewed, but the curve in the markings was more pronounced than it should have been. We have now corrected this and apologise for any problems this may have caused.”