Locals slam 'ludicrous' roundabout roadworks

Residents have criticised roadworks on a roundabout three months after the completion of a £7m, year-long upgrade.

The roundabout in Clophill, Bedfordshire, has been dubbed a "white elephant" as people said they do not notice many improvements.

Central Bedfordshire Council said tidying up and "snagging" work, set to last two weeks, was necessary to ensure the roundabout was effective for all road users.

But locals have described the latest set of works as "ludicrous" as all the work should have been done in one go.

The work was completed in May but residents now face two weeks' of roadworks.

Linda Molloy, from Silsoe, said: "Why they couldn’t have done this when they were doing the actual work is just unbelievable to be honest, and the amount of chaos they caused over the year, to do this again is just unacceptable basically.

"Why they need to do it again, it’s crazy and unnecessary," she said.

Mark Bodimeade, 61, from Maulden, said he thought all the work should have been completed in one go.

He said: "I can’t believe they [are] actually doing remedial works after the whole year the roundabout has been worked on.

"Surely they would have got their fingers on the pulse and got everything done in one go instead of causing more disruption to motorists and the local neighbourhood.. for me it’s ludicrous."

He said it was "not right" for residents to live with more roadworks, and called the scheme "a mess".

In a statement, Central Bedfordshire Council said: "To ensure Clophill roundabout is as effective as possible for all road users, including drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, following the main build we have some tidying up and ‘snagging’ to attend to.

"This is common practice for projects of this nature."

The planned works include relocating signage, cutting back verges, installing cycle-friendly flush kerbs and replacing barriers.

Temporary traffic lights will be put in place, and single lanes will be implemented on all approaches during off-peak hours (09:30 to 15:30 BST) from Monday to Friday for the next two weeks.

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.