A MAIN route into Christchurch could be shut for up to four weeks – at the same time as major gas works in the town centre.

The move to close Stony Lane in Burton in the autumn has led to concerns from Burton Parish Council and county councillor David Jones, who called the idea “totally unworkable”.

As part of the proposed Three Towns Travel plan, Dorset County Council are proposing to put traffic lights either side of the railway bridge to make the traffic flow one-way and widen the footpath.

Details for the £140,000 scheme - including the start date - are still being finalised but could begin in October, just a few days after 12-weeks of gas main works begin in the High Street.

Cllr David Jones said: “It will cause gridlock in Burton and it will also cause gridlock on the A35 as traffic wishing to exit onto the Stony Lane roundabout will have to go down Salisbury Road to the Sainsbury’s roundabout and back, thus obviously causing very severe traffic congestion.

“Although I supported the plan initially and thought the improvements to safety were a good idea, we were not aware of the road closure.

“The potential gains are simply not worth the hassle this will cause, especially in light of the work in Christchurch High Street over that period.

“I believe it will not be in the interests of my constituents and I will be asking the council formally to re-consider it.”

Parish council chairman, Judy Jamieson added: “This is not acceptable. There was no mention of this when we met with engineers.

“We are calling for them to co-ordinate this better and not turn Burton into an island.”

Andrew Bradley, Dorset County Council’s management engineer for highways, said: “We are currently negotiating exactly how long the work will take.

“As soon as this information is available we will share it with the councillors and residents. Closure of the road is needed due to the substantial amount of work required to widen the footpath.

“But we will keep this disruption to the shortest time."