FURIOUS county councillor Les Ames today demanded action to deal with huge queues caused by gas main work on Portland beach road.

The work has left drivers fuming at journeys of an hour-and-three-quarters just to crawl the six miles from Boot Hill in Weymouth to Portland.

And motorists are being warned that the four-week gas main project could be followed by more delays for other service schemes and work to install two roundabouts on the beach road.

Mr Ames said: "These gas main queues could be going on for up to four weeks and it is totally unacceptable to expect drivers to endure this sort of delay for that length of time.

"I understand that the work has been ordered by the South West Regional Development Agency in connection with development of the former HMS Osprey site.

"But attempts to get them to open the nearby mere road - which was often done when flooding hit the area - so some traffic could bypass the work have been refused.

"I want SWRDA to admit that the mere road has to be opened to ease the queues because if delays continue for another four weeks it will cause a tremendous amount of ill-feeling, not to mention the inconvenience to business."

Weymouth and Portland engineering manager Martyn Gallivan said: "The gas main is having to be switched from the Portland Harbour side of the road to the Chesil Beach side of the road as part of work to develop the site.

"This involves welding a form of plastic pipe which cannot be done on the beach because of environmental concerns from English Nature. This means it has to be done on the road itself which is what is causing all the delays.

"We have asked SWRDA for permission to use the mere road in Osprey but they have turned down our request because of what are believed to be concerns over public safety liability."

Mr Gallivan warned that more delays could be expected throughout the year for other works linked to services and the installation of two new roundabouts on the beach road.

He said: "With so much work something must be done to reduce the traffic delays."

SWRDA development manager Bruce Voss said: "The beach road work is being carried out by Transco who have a new system of traffic lights which is being tried out in consultation with Dorset Police.

"If they don't work then we will consider using the mere road, but we hope that proper management of the traffic lights will solve the problem of delays."