TRADERS have hit out at plans to close a key road for up to six months for the second time in a year.

Drivers suffered months of delays and diversions last year while engineers repaired a Victorian bridge that carries the Waterloo to Weymouth railway line over the B3055.

The road links Brockenhurst and Sway and its closure resulted in businesses losing a huge amount of trade.

But the bridge turned out to be in a worse state than first thought and the B3055 is shutting for a further six months to enable Network Rail to finish the £2m project.

The move has angered traders, who fear they will suffer another devastating slump in business. Brendan Treacey, landlord of the Hare and Hounds pub in Sway, said his takings plummeted by 25 per cent last year.

He accused Network Rail of taking too long to complete the repairs and added: “They’re showing no regard for business, tourism and the economy of the New Forest.”

David West, of Sway Butchers, said his takings dropped by as much as 20 per cent last year.

He added: “About 60 per cent of our business comes from outside Sway and a six-month road closure is simply not acceptable.”

Last night Network Rail apologised for causing more disruption in the area. A spokesman said: “The bridge is one of the original structures that opened with the railway.

"The work we’re undertaking will strengthen it, allowing us to remove speed and weight restrictions and thus improve the reliability of train services.”

Asked why it had not been possible to do all the repairs last year he said engineers ran out of time and added: “We’d much rather have done it all in one go.”

He said temporary traffic lights would operate on the B3055 from next Monday until February 9 when the road would close completely to enable the bridge to be encased in scaffolding.