ROADWORKS at Tuckton Bridge are being blamed for miles of tailbacks at rush hour times in Bournemouth.

Hospital staff, patients and visitors are fuming after taking more than an hour to get out of car parks and on to Castle Lane East.

Motorists are then facing further delays, taking more than half an hour to get as far as Iford roundabout.

And there have been further delays in the Christchurch area, all related to the temporary closure of Tuckton Bridge.

Hospital chiefs said they are are working with Bournemouth council in a bid to improve the situation as quickly as possible.

However, if no solution is found, the long delays are likely to continue until the bridge reopens at the end of next week.

Council officials have apologised for the problems.

A spokesman for the Royal Bournemouth Hospital said: "Staff are finding it particularly difficult to get in and out of the multi-storey car park and it is also causing problems for patients and visitors.

"We are doing everything we can and have had members of staff attempting to assist drivers getting in and out of our car parks but it is a difficult situation."

Residents and traders in Tuckton had expressed concern about the timing of the bridge closure during the Easter school holiday period.

But council officers said the timing of the work was intended to minimise problems.

Gary Powell, head of traffic, engineering and major projects, said: "The closure of Tuckton Bridge will be in place during the Easter holidays with operatives working over the bank holiday weekend.

"During the school holidays the number of vehicles using this area is greatly reduced as there will be no school buses and less commuters.

"Unfortunately, we cannot work at night due to the noise disturbance and the impact this would have on nearby residents."

He apologised for the "inconvenience" of delays.

“We are aware of significant congestion on Monday along Castle Lane East heading from Cooper Dean Roundabout towards Iford Roundabout, and in particular affecting those leaving the hospital junction," Mr Powell said yesterday.

“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience.

“Traffic in the area has been impacted by the current ongoing safety improvement works at Tuckton Roundabout and also the closure of Tuckton Bridge.

“The closure has been planned for the Easter holidays to minimise the impact on traffic.

“Works at the bridge are on schedule to be completed by 15 April.

“In the meantime, we will continue to monitor traffic flow and adjust the operation of the traffic signals where we think this can improve the flow.

“We would encourage motorists to use all diversion routes available and avoid peak times where at all possible. We would like to thank residents for their patience.”

The closure of the bridge is part of a project to revamp Tuckton roundabout and introduce new crossings at each junction, cycle lanes and a loading bay outside Tesco in Tuckton Road.

Motorists trapped in delays yesterday afternoon called the problems “unacceptable”.

Tom Geary, who had visited the Village Hotel, said: “It’s usually pretty bad around here at peak times, but this is ridiculous.

“We’re all just sitting here. Nothing’s moving. It’s unacceptable.”

A couple who were trying to return to Highcliffe after appointments at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital said: “We’ve got to be here six times this month. We hope the work finishes quickly. It’s very busy indeed.”

A taxi driver told the Echo: “It’s about the worst I’ve seen it. Everything is taking so long. It’s really making life hard.”

Some motorists said it was taking around half an hour to travel the mile-long stretch of Castle Lane East between Cooper Dean and the Iford Roundabout.