FRUSTRATED drivers in Purbeck found themselves sitting in miles of queues as workmen began digging up one of the area’s busiest routes for the second time in weeks.

Motorists are facing another 12 weeks of delays while part of the A351 Sandford Road is shut northbound for sewer improvements.

Traffic has been clogging up along the A35, back from temporary traffic lights at Morden Park Corner junction, as drivers are diverted up the B3075 since Wessex Water began work on Monday.

The same stretch of road was closed for five weeks in November while Dorset County Council carried out re-surfacing.

Driver Jeremy Davies’s journey time from Poole to Milborne St Andrew, near Bere Regis, more than doubled yesterday morning.

The sales marketing manager, 39, said: “It was just a nightmare, with queues for four miles each way.

“If anything stops the flow along the A35, traffic backs up quite seriously and takes ages to clear. To have traffic lights on there is just awful.”

People will start using country lanes to avoid problems, he said.

“I will be using back lanes trying to get to work on time and to get home to see my kids to put them to bed,” he said.

Nicky Morby runs Sibley Pottery Antiques, off the Sandford Road and Morden Road roundabout, and faces an eight-mile round trip to get back to her Sandford home under the diversion.

“My neighbours and I have to go eight to 10 miles out of our way to get home,” she said.

“Doing the school run to Lytchett, I ran into a massive queue and got stuck for 15-20 minutes. I just don’t understand why they couldn’t do this when they did the other half of the road.”

As traffic is still flowing south her business is not affected too badly, she said.

Wessex Water, which is laying a new sewer to reduce the risk of flooding to nearby homes, says it was unable to co-ordinate with the council’s project.

Jonathan Barker, Wessex Water’s project manager, said: “It would have been detrimental to local businesses by effectively cutting off the Holton Heath trading estate.”

Views on the roadworks

SHOPPERS and staff at McColls convenience store, on Sandford Road, had all been affected.

Supervisor Linda Joyce, from Sandford, said: “We’ve been really quiet today, worse than during the last closures.

“If people have been stopped in traffic they’re not going to wait and stop here. I think they should have put temporary lights up instead to keep traffic flowing both ways.

“It’s stupid.”

Electrical contractor Len Toney, from Weymouth, says he will avoid using the route during the works.

“What a pain it is,” he said. “The signs don’t tell you about the diversions until too late and you’ve got to go back.

“I went to the wholesalers in Poole this morning, couldn’t use the A351 so had to turn round and got stuck on the A35.”

Dad-of-three Daniel Elford, 26, lives in Sandford.

He said: “It has affected the buses in the area. I went into Poole and it took a really long time. It was a bit of a nightmare.

“It’s bad but if it’s needed I suppose they’ve got to do it.”

Laura Sanderson, 24, lives near Wareham.

She said: “I left to go to Poole this morning not realising this was all happening.

“I spent 45 minutes on that journey, which should take 20 minutes.”

Retired John Legg, of Gore Hill in Sandford, was litter picking along the road.

He said: “Excess rain is always flooding the houses.

“I’ve noticed a lot of people haven’t been taking notice of the diversion and have been going all the way up to Sandford Middle School only to find it’s closed. They need more signs.”