MOTORISTS are calling for answers after a main road was closed for more than 10 hours following a single vehicle accident, which caused huge tailbacks and gridlocked roads.

A green VW Passat collided with the roundabout and ended up on its roof outside the fire station at Holes Bay North in Poole at around 2.50am on Monday.

A passing motorist spotted the accident and went to the fire station to ask for help.

A 25-year-old Yeovil man was taken to Poole Hospital with serious head and chest injuries and then transferred to Southampton Hospital. Police said his injuries could still be life-threatening.

Two other occupants had minor injuries and were arrested on suspicion of a motoring offence.

A fourth person left the scene and sparked a police search.

At 4.17am police had a call to say there was a man lying in the middle of the road, near Wool.

They believed he was linked to the earlier incident and arrested him on suspicion of dangerous driving.

Those in police custody are an 18-year-old man, a 22-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man all from Yeovil.

Roads were closed without diversion signs and drivers found themselves stuck in massive queues, compounded by radio reports at 11am that the road had reopened. The road reopened at 1pm.

If this incident happened at 3am on Monday, why was it not cleared up by the time for the rush hour traffic?”

Debs Ainsworth, a facilities coordinator, took one hour and 15 minutes to travel just 1.2 miles from the Bakers Arms roundabout to Factory Road in Upton.

“I appreciate the need to close roads following a serious collision, but where was the traffic management for the ensuing chaos?” she said.

Sergeant Nikki Burt of the Ferndown traffic department said: “Dorset Police has a duty to investigate road traffic collisions and the closure of this section of the road was necessary so that potentially vital evidence could be secured.

“As the debris of this collision was spread out over a very wide area, across both sides of the Holes Bay roundabout, this meant that there was a very large scene that needed to be cordoned off and scrutinised.

“Complications involving the recovery of the overturned vehicle also led to prolonged closures.”

Police want the male Ford Mondeo driver who alerted the fire brigade to come forward.

Sales manager Angela Davies’ 20-minute journey from Bere Regis to Poole took over two hours. She said: “I find it absolutely unbelievable.