UPTON residents who fear gridlock on their roads demonstrated in favour of Poole's delayed second bridge.

Placard-waving protestors gathered at the Blandford Road boundary between Poole and Purbeck to parade their concerns as lorries thundered past.

Brandishing placards stating "Second Bridge Now" and "For Hamworthy and Upton, this should not be a Bridge Too Far", they were joined by Hamworthy residents and Poole Liberal Democrat councillors.

Poole's second harbour crossing, the Twin Sails Bridge, has been put back due to a lack of agreement over infrastructure funding between the landowners of the former power station site and the council.

Cllr Fred Drane of Blandford Road Action Group said: "We must fight for this bridge because it is the only way we can get traffic, including all lorries and HGVs plus holiday vehicles for the docks, off the Blandford Road."

Calling for Poole council to ensure traffic from the port was diverted across the old bridge and along Holes Bay Road, he said: "We can't wait 10-15 years."

One resident who did an all-day traffic count recorded 72,000 vehicles using the road, he said.

Annette Brooke, MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, said: "We have a road that cannot cope with this level of congestion. It is totally unfair on the local residents."

Richard Tazewell, chairman of Upton and Lytchett Minster Town Planning Group, pointed out the pavements on the busy road were only two metres wide in Poole and 1.5m in Upton.

"From the pedestrian point of view it's dangerous in places," he said. "We don't know whether Poole Bridge is ever going to happen."

Carroll Rawlings, chairman of the action group, said: "If we don't do something we are going to be gridlocked."

There is a night time restriction on heavy lorries using the Blandford Road and traffic flow is monitored regularly using automatic counters, said Julian McLaughlin, head of transportation services, Borough of Poole.

"The data from these surveys provides clear evidence that the general level of use has not increased significantly in recent years," he said. "We will continue to monitor the flow along this route."

Poole's cabinet portfolio holder for the economy, Cllr Ron Parker, said: "We are as desperate to get the bridge as anybody and we fully support the residents on the Blandford Road. We are putting in bids with every government agency possible."