Chairs were overturned in scenes described as "bedlam" and a "near riot" as around 100 people vented their fury over a scheme to cut traffic congestion in Poole.

Angry residents at the Borough of Poole's transportation advisory group were upset that a contentious plan to ban a right turn from Bournemouth Road into Richmond Road was deferred rather than scrapped.

Public consultation had shown an overwhelming 74 per cent of 318 residents opposed to the £115,000 scheme.

Almost a year ago a 7.5-tonne lorry overturned in Courthill Road demolishing a garden wall, and residents fear similar incidents if more drivers use narrow residential roads as a rat-run.

The government-funded scheme on the main A35 road aims to relieve congestion by putting in traffic islands for pedestrians.

Current pedestrian crossings stop all the traffic, however putting in half-way, controlled crossings during which traffic would still flow on other legs, means no room for the right turn, and no space for a controlled crossing on St Osmunds Road.

"I left that meeting in utter disbelief over how important and costly decisions can be made based on nothing but badly thought through plans and guestimations on what might happen," said resident Caroline Papp.

Both she and neighbour Steph Le Sueur are members of the Courthill Neighbourhood Core Group.

"All they are doing is displacing traffic," said Steph of Courthill Road, who has children at Courthill and Baden-Powell and St Peter's schools.

"The traffic is there and it has to go somewhere."

Steve Andrew, chairman of governors of Courthill First School, who has two children at Baden-Powell, said his school objected to an uncontrolled crossing at St Osmunds Road.

"There has been no real assessment of where the displaced traffic will go and so as governors of Courthill we cannot assess what risks there will be to the children using the pedestrian route to the school via Alexandra Road, as well as the St Osmunds junction," he said.

Liberal Democrats called for the scheme to be scrapped and their leader, Cllr Mike Brooke, said: "The whole thing is just unworkable."

Cllr Mike White, portfolio holder for transportation, said they were keen to improve the congested junction for all road users.

"However we do recognise the concerns expressed by local people and have suggested the scheme be deferred until after similar improvements have been made further along at Ashley Cross and Station Road.

"We can then evaluate what impact this work has on traffic movements before revisiting this particular scheme."