Dorset County Council has apologised for the long delays caused by cones on the approach to the Blackwater junction.

The council says it was not expecting the knock-on effect of closing one lane of the A338 600m before the junction.

Drivers have reported 45 minute delays at peak times on Castle Lane as traffic blocks the box junctions on the Cooper Dean roundabout.

And yesterday some readers reported two hour delays getting out of the Royal Bournemouth Hospital car park.

But Travel Dorset says the merge was necessary to facilitate safe working in the area where the Spur Road contraflow has been. 

The rebuild team is putting new steel barriers in the gap between the carriageways ahead of the road reopening.

A spokesman from Travel Dorset said: “We do know the effect this new road layout is having on traffic and we are sorry for any delays it is causing.

“We are working to get it sorted as quickly as possible.”

The cones have now been removed.

She said the cones had been placed so far back from the junction because the poor line of sight for drivers heading north would have made it unsafe to merge traffic any later. 

She also said part of the purpose of the merge was to slow traffic entering the 40mph zone, because drivers are using the removal of the average speed cameras as an excuse to drive faster than 40mph.

She said: "The cones are in place due to the incomplete barrier and the risk this poses of crossover accidents. 

"Unfortunately the sightlines are not very good in this area which means the cones need to be further south of Blackwater Junction.

"Another safety concern is that traffic is not adhering to the temporary 40mph speed limit.

"We will be working to complete the section of barrier closest to Blackwater Junction tonight so that the traffic management can be brought north of Blackwater Junction - aiming to have a new layout from tomorrow morning, subject to the required works being completed tonight."