AN angry Hindhead resident has accused the authorities of Òa fudge jobÓ, after 18 weeks of roadworks on the A3 at the crossroads.

The works, which have brought numerous complaints of chaos and congestion, are purely Òto allow the developers of the former Happy Eater site to gain access to the site from the A3Ó, claimed Jack Worth, who lives close to the traffic lights.

He branded the roadworks Òa nonsenseÓ, believing all they will do is make road rage problems close to the crossroads even worse on the southbound side and create a potential traffic hazard.

Mr WorthÕs comments follow what was billed as Òtraffic improvementsÓ to the junction. They are expected to be completed by the end of the month - weeks behind schedule.

Included in the works is a refuge south of the crossroad lights to allow traffic to turn right, crossing the northbound carriageway of the busy London to Portsmouth trunk road to gain access to the controversial 68-home development on the Happy Eater site.

ÒWhat you will get is southbound traffic merging from two lanes into one, and then peeling off to the right past the lights to cross the northbound traffic island,Ó said Mr Worth.

He believes the plan is a recipe for disaster and will just mean more horns blaring.

ÒOne feels so powerless - letters are published but no one seems to give a damn,Ó said his wife Jill, who has already seen countless accidents involving damage to cars since the roadworks began.

ÒEveryone agrees it is a catastrophe, and we, along with other people who live nearby, have had very little sleep during the roadworks,Ó she declared.

And the couple complain that at the end of it all, only one side of the carriageway is to be resurfaced. ÒThe other side will look like a patchwork quilt,Ó claimed Mrs Worth.

ÒThe thrust of the whole business was that it was done on the basis that the traffic flow would be improved,Ó said Mr Worth, who claims it will have a completely opposite effect .

ÒAll that has happened is that we have been left with a situation that is far worse than anything before and we have lived here since 1979,Ó said an angry Mr Worth.

A spokesman for the Highways Agency said that the developer would be paying all the costs of the work and the scheme had over-run because of bad weather.

The spokesman said that the two lanes of traffic would continue southwards further that at present past the lights, to allow right hand turning traffic to siphon off into a refuge in the middle of the road.

And he confirmed that only the northbound carriageway would be resurfaced.

A spokesman for Waverley said there was an access indicated on the plans to which the highways authority had raised no objections.