THE next phase of the 10-month Spur Road improvement works has been pushed back due to Storm Imogen.

Phase 2 of the ongoing resurfacing works - dealing with the entire length of the southbound carriageway - was due to draw to a close on Sunday.

But due to the severe weather on Sunday night, the operation was halted.

A spokesperson for Dorset County Council said on Sunday night: "Unfortunately due to tonight’s weather we have been unable to switch the traffic management ready to start work on Phase 3.

"The road was closed ready to complete the switch, however it is now being re-opened."

The switch over will take place on Monday night, with phase three starting on Tuesday morning.

Following an overnight closure on Sunday night, from 8pm-6am, today was supposed to see the contraflow “mirrored” to the other side of the road as vehicles enter and exit the A338 by the new “quiet” southbound carriageway.

Ian Price, Hanson project manager, said additional resources were brought in to ensure phase 2 was finished on time, adding the wet weather held them back.

“It wasn’t as productive as we would have liked,” he said. “We have built other time into the programme but we have lost it all in one quick batch.”

As previously reported, the wet weather meant the foam base - a recycled material produced from the old road surface - couldn’t be put down as it wouldn’t cure.

Hanson needed six days of dry weather during which workers were reassigned to work on drainage and landscaping but the team have since been able to lay the base as planned and are now steaming along.

Over the course of 24 hours on Wednesday they laid 3,300 tonnes of material. The team has been covering approximately a mile a day.

Cabinet member for environment, county cllr Peter Finney said: “We’re going to be doing the exact same thing at the same point on the other side of the road so we’ve got the northern part of the road done.

“This is the tricky part of the year. We were experiencing the worst of the weather but we have managed to get in quite quickly. We haven’t had much wiggle room as we can’t put it down if it’s raining or even if it’s frosty and these are tough conditions.

“We transferred staff to doing other things like drainage etc and all the associated works that can be done we have done.

“We’re optimising the work force, particularly by working six nights a week, who have been working very hard. There’s quite a drastic amount to do by Sunday night but it will get done.

He added: “We’re on time, on schedule and we’re on budget.”