EXPENSIVE, disruptive and possibly dangerously flawed - that is one councillor's view of the new Avon Causeway bridge.

Ferndown town councillor Lesley Dedman has hit out at the new bridge after crossing it twice just hours after it was opened on Tuesday last week.

Her main complaint is about the traffic calming and sign saying "give way to oncoming traffic" west of the £950,000 two-way bridge, which replaced the rusting single carriageway structure built in 1947. Mrs Dedman, who chairs the town council's planning committee, claimed: "You can't cross from the Hurn side until traffic ceases flowing".

"This is not a two-way bridge in any real sense then, but rather the same old system of hurry up and wait'. In fact, it's probably worse than the original, as the traffic will now not see you at the other side and give way in the old polite manner."

On the return journey from Friars Cliff, she claimed three drivers ignored the give way' sign at the pinch point, forcing her daughter, who was driving, to stop sharply. "Perhaps they had heard it was two-way," said Mrs Dedman.

She also complained there was little difference to the road west of the bridge. "Call this an improvement, Dorset county council? I call it an unnecessary expense, a much too long-winded and disruptive piece of work, which seems to be already showing dangerous flaws.

"I sincerely hope our experience two hours or so after the bridge opened is not repeated, or else there are going to be accidents galore."

Mike Harden, Dorset county council senior engineer, said: "Concerns were raised by local parish councils and elected representatives that replacing the old narrow bridge with a two-lane structure would encourage more and more traffic to use the road, and cause safety problems.

"As a result, traffic calming measures were introduced on the western approach to replicate any traffic suppression effects of the old bridge."