AN accident is waiting to happen on a Corfe Mullen road, according to a councillor.

Derek Alcock fears that motorists swerving to avoid standing water from a blocked drainage ditch on Waterloo Road will come to grief.

He said that water had been standing on a section of the road opposite his house for three months due to a blocked culvert on the north side.

"My concern is that there is going to be a serious accident," said Mr Alcock.

Dorset County Council, the authority with responsibility for most of the county's roads, had refused to unblock the culvert, he claimed.

Cllr Stewart Hearn echoed Mr Alcock's concerns, saying that unseasonal weather had made the flooding an ongoing problem.

"This section has been partially blocked for most of the summer because of the heavy rain we have had. It's an accident waiting to happen."

"We asked the county council to take a look, but their response is that it's the responsibility of the adjoining landowner."

"What they should do, from a road safety point of view, is get the problem fixed and work out who should pay for it later," said Cllr Hearn.

A spokesman for Dorset County Council said: "We are aware of the problems on Waterloo Road and have written to the landowner asking them to clear the ditch as it is part of their property."

"We are trying to resolve the matter as quickly as possible and, if necessary, will follow it up with enforcement action," he added.