BOURNEMOUTH Airport is urging passengers to leave enough time to make their flight with the ongoing delays caused by the A338 roadworks.

A group of holidaymakers were left fuming on Tuesday night when they missed their Thomsonfly flight to Amsterdam because of the congestion.

The roadworks began on February 17 and are scheduled to continue until April 4.

A statement on the airport's website prior to the start of the work warned of the potential problems.

It read: "The work will cause some major delays and passengers are asked to leave plenty of time for their journey to the airport during this period."

Felicity Edzerza, a Canadian visiting family in Bournemouth, was one of the customers left stranded when she arrived at Bournemouth Airport just minutes after the check-in for her flight had closed.

She left her parents' home in West Moors at 6pm to make her 6.55pm flight, but suffered the knock-on effects of the Spur Road tailbacks.

"I did the journey to the airport from my parents in 15 minutes last year," she said.

"But we got stuck in horrendous traffic and didn't move for 35 minutes.

"We had no idea it would take so long and there were so many other people in the same position."

In the wake of the batch of unhappy customers, the airport has reiterated that check-in times will be strictly adhered to.

Sally Windsor, spokeswoman for the airport, said: "We have done our best and encouraged people to leave plenty of time, and the advice stands until the roadworks are finished."