ROADWORKS on a main road near Bridgwater have caused two-mile tailbacks almost back to the M5.

Angry drivers got stuck in long queues on Monday on Puriton Hill after getting off the motorway at junction 23 heading into Bridgwater town centre.

These were caused by roadworks and temporary traffic lights along the A39 at Bawdrip, outside the Knowle Inn, which started at around 8am and finished about 2pm.

The landlord of the pub, Toby Last, said he was annoyed that he had been given no advance warning of the chaos these would cause.

He said: “I have lost trade today as we had a few bookings and these people couldn’t get to us as they were stuck in traffic.

“One lady customer told me that it took her an hour to get from the motorway to the pub.

The journey is usually about a mile. It was just chaos.”

Another motorist, the Mercury’s Rebecca Jones, who got stuck on Puriton Hill trying to get into work at around 11am, said: “I thought there had been an accident as it took me about an hour to get into Bridgwater town centre from the M5.”

Somerset County Council added: “It was planned for a Monday morning which I think most people would expect to be the quietest part of the week for a pub.”