‘Emergency’ gas works have been causing problems in Bear Cross, with traffic backing up despite delays being ‘unlikely’.

The works are emergency works according to One Network a traffic information provider.

One side of the carriageway was closed two days ago.

According to a resident, SGN vans were present at the site over the weekend, before the lane was closed and temporary traffic lights installed on Tuesday.

The resident said that whilst the traffic lights have now been removed, the traffic on Tuesday reached back to the A349, Gravel Hill, despite the website saying that delays are ‘unlikely’.

The works are listed on one.network in two similar locations. The site says there will be ‘some carriageway incursion’, but there is no mention of temporary traffic lights.

The end dates for both bits of work are different, too, with one saying December 6, and the other December 7.

Bournemouth Echo:

The resident said that there has been no work in the road at all so far, and the only work that has been done has been on the verge, with two “small, three-inch-deep holes” at the site.

He questioned whether the closure of the lane was justified, with nothing having been done in the road.

A spokesperson from SGN said: 

"We’re carrying out emergency repairs to our gas network in Magna Road, Bournemouth. We detected two leaks on our gas main and have already completed one repair, which means temporary traffic lights installed on Wednesday [30 November] have now been removed returning Magna Road back to normal.

"We are however still working on a repair in the footpath, which has no impact on traffic. This will likely continue into next week.

"We’d like to thank the Bournemouth community for your continued understanding and patience."