HAMWORTHY and parts of Poole suffered gridlock this week - as separate roadworks and the delayed bridge opening caused huge traffic jams

Ongoing roadworks on Blandford Road and nearby Holes Bay Road have caused chaos for days, with fuming motorists reporting the worst queues, with TWO hour delays, on Monday evening.

Some Hamworthy drivers even abandoned their journey home, choosing to turn around, pay to park in Poole town centre and walk instead.

Footage by Andy Storey

Hamworthy resident Mark King told the Daily Echo: “It was horrendous on Monday night, I feel sorry for anyone caught up in it.

“It took me two hours to get home to Hamworthy from my workplace on the Chalwyn Industrial Estate.”

Mark said at one stage it took him an hour to drive just 150 yards along Holes Bay Road. He added: “I saw eight police cars going past me, why didn’t they help?

“There were people posting online last night how they couldn’t go anywhere - they had kids in the car desperate for the toilet, people were trying to visit elderly residents. It is winter, if someone had had a heart attack in Hamworthy last night they would have died. How could anyone get to them?”

Mark drove up Blandford Road the next day expecting to see it completely dug up.

“All they’d done was take the top surface of the road,” he said. “If they’d have moved the cones to the grass then both lanes would have been available to get everyone home. If I ran my business like these works have been organised, I’d be finished.”

Another resident, a driver instructor from Upton, said: “I called Poole council yesterday and asked who to send the bill to for my wife who sat in traffic wasting fuel for an hour on Blandford Road. Also, my son had to park in Poole on Monday night and walk to Hamworthy, because he simply couldn’t get home - he gave up after queuing for two hours. I live within sight of the Upton roundabout and I don’t bother going to Poole at the moment, it is just not worth it.

“During rush-hour it is a complete no-go area, the situation is simply shocking.”

Borough of Poole traffic manager Richard Pincroft said: “We are very conscious of the level of works being carried out in Poole town centre and Hamworthy and the impact this is having on people.

“We’re investing millions of pounds to improve the infrastructure in these areas and would like to thank local people for their continued patience.”

The Blandford Road works should finish on Saturday and Poole Bridge is anticipated to open mid-January.