ROADWORKS causing delays in Christchurch town centre could remain in place until the start of the next week.

While Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) repaired the electrical fault in Bargates, Christchurch, on Tuesday afternoon, holes in the road have not been filled in.

The utility firm said the work to do this was "more time consuming" than other reinstatement works.

Temporary traffic lights, which have been in place since Tuesday morning, have caused heavy delays for motorists and frustration for businesses.

Margaret Coetzee, operations director of Castles Home Hardware, previously said the impact on businesses had been huge.

Reacting to being told the lights might not be removed until Monday, November 14, she told the Daily Echo: "I cannot believe or trust what anybody at SSEN tells me because I was told on Tuesday it was going to be finished that afternoon. We are now on Thursday and they are still there.

"We got told it was planned work, then we get told it is emergency work, then I was told this morning it was planned emergency work. I am not an idiot, please. You cannot believe a word they say.

"I will believe it when I see the road is clear. Businesses and residents have to put up with this nonsense.

"In my opinion it is unacceptable that nobody has taken the time to apologise for the inconvenience. They are treating us with contempt."

This Sunday, a procession led by the Royal British Legion, Armed Forces units, town council officials and civic organisations is due to set off from the Royal British Legion in Bargates at 10am as part of remembrance events in the borough.

When asked why it was taking days to fill the holes in the road and remove the temporary traffic lights, a spokesperson for SSEN told the Daily Echo: "Laying slabs is a more time consuming job than other forms of reinstatement and we need to ensure the local authority is happy with our work. We will have completed by November 14 and sooner, if possible.

"Once the work is complete, the traffic lights will come down."

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