BUSINESSES say they are suffering a half-term from hell because of traffic chaos.

And traders fear a summer of misery because of the effects of the roadworks designed to improve traffic flow for the Olympics and beyond.

Roads have been gridlocked almost every day this week as holidaymakers travelling into Weymouth get caught up in the chaos.

Roadworks on the new relief road and the on-going work in King Street have brought the town to a standstill.

Tourists have also hit out at the long delays.

Holidaymaker Jean Troughton, from Acrington, Lancashire, said: “It has completely spoiled our holiday.

“We try and come into town most days from our holiday park in Preston and even on the bus it is a bit of a nightmare.

“We walked the other day but with everything you need for the beach is was too much.

“I think we will go to Blackpool next time and I wouldn’t recommend anyone coming here.

“They may have built a new road but it doesn’t get you anywhere faster.”

Weymouth and Portland mayor Graham Winter described the works as a ‘nightmare’.

He said: “I find it puzzling that on The Esplanade by the Jubilee Clock they have reduced it to a single lane.

“I think it’s a nightmare – King Street itself is horrendous with the roadworks going on,” he said.

He said the timing of the roadworks was ‘unfortunate,’ adding: “This half-term there’s going to be a lot of people down here for the holiday.

“They don’t want to be put off by the roadworks.

“I feel very sorry for the people in the pubs who are not going to get anybody stopping there.

“People will go away because of the barriers.”

Geoff Saxton, co-owner of Gloucester House guesthouse, which is close to the junction of The Esplanade and King Street, said one of his guests said she wanted to go home because of the roadworks.

“I had one quite irate woman who asked for her money back because she spent two hours in traffic in her car trying to find somewhere to park.

“We haven’t had people come to our door and say: ‘I’m not going to stay here because of the roadworks.’ “But people might see the roadworks and not bother stopping,” he said.

Margaret Roe, co-proprietor of the Wenlock House B&B – which is close to the Jubilee Clock – said she has just two people staying in her B&B and she has 10 rooms.

She added: “Since they’ve been doing the roadworks they’ve been killing our business.

“I think people will never come to Weymouth again.

“If they had done these roadworks through the winter they could have got them finished by the end of April.

“We want compensation for the trade we’ve lost but I doubt we will get anything from them.

“We will carry on the way we are at the moment but we might think about selling the business.”

Council looking at 'long term' goals

Dorset County Council strategic projects manager Matthew Piles, pictured, said: “The programme of work has been previously advertised to give plenty of notice in the order of junctions being built; Boot Hill corridor completed before work commencing on King Street corridor.

“The reason that the King Street corridor was programmed second is so the work was finished by the school summer holiday, when more people use King Street for access to the beach from Swannery Car Park and the train station.

“The project team keeps in regular contact with businesses directly affected by the works and has provided signage informing the public that businesses are open as usual. In the long term, the new footpaths will provide better pedestrian access throughout King Street.”

A county county spokesman said: “We acknowledge the concerns businesses have expressed in relation to impact on their trade. Risks were assessed as part of the project business case approved by the Department of Transport.”