RESIDENTS have revealed how they have become ‘trapped’ in their own homes since electrical works began on Blandford Road in Poole.

The works mean a three-week closure of Blandford Road between Rigler Road and Ashmore Avenue - something residents say is a ‘nightmare’.

Gridlock on the diversion route to Upton led to the whole of Hamworthy being full of traffic during the first day of the works.

Karen Duggan, Hamworthy resident said: “We are trapped in our own homes, the queue to get to Upton is over an hour and if we get out as far as Upton we cannot get home again.

“Closing the Blandford road to lay a small electrical pipe is stupid and not well thought out at all.”

The programme of works are part of Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) £3.7 million investment in Poole’s electricity network.

They were due to begin on Friday, July 2, but due to "unforeseen circumstances" only started on Monday, July 5.

Karen said: “As a resident I’m scared of what is going to happen in the three weeks it [the road] is due to be closed for.

“I’ve got skid marks on my drive where folks are getting desperate and turning around - to go where? There is nowhere for them to go other than the back of the queue.”

The diversion means there is no direct access between Poole and Hamworthy across either the Twin Sails Bridge or Poole Lifting Bridge.

Karen told The Daily Echo she is worried ‘someone is going to die’ due to the increased pressure on roads as a result of the diversion.

Once the initial work between Rigler Road and Ashmore Avenue on Blanford Road has been finished on July 24, the road will then close again in one direction between Blandford Close to Tuckers Lane with north west access only, from Monday, July 26, to Friday, August 20.

The upgrade works began in April and SSEN have said it will benefit more than 19,000 Poole residents.

The project will run for eight months to enable the upgrade of 2.5 kilometers of underground cable; new sections of modern, robust cable will replace the existing oil filled cable which is reaching the end of its working life, allowing for a stronger network with capacity for future commercial and residential connections.

A spokesperson for SSEN said: “Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has worked closely with BCP Council and Highways England to establish a traffic management system on Blandford Road which causes the least amount of disruption possible, while also ensuring safe and efficient working conditions, to enable the works to move through quickly and the road to be reopened.

“SSEN apologises for any inconvenience this temporary road closure has caused and would like to assure residents and road users that engineers are working to ensure the quickest and safest way to carry out this essential phase of its £3.7 million investment to build a robust, modern power supply for those living and working in Poole.”