Residents have spoken out about the “dangerous” disruption caused by tourists trying to get to a nearby natural wonder.

People living on West Road in West Lulworth say that visitors are parking on both sides of their narrow road, which leads to Durdle Door, causing serious traffic jams.

They say it is making it difficult to for them to leave their homes and is also unsafe, as the traffic sometimes makes it impossible for any ambulance or other emergency vehicle to get through if it were needed.

Diane Wynell-Sutherland, who lives on West Road, said: “What’s happening is they all used to park on one side but they have started parking on both sides of the road and when you get a bus trying to pass it’s just chaos.” 

She added: “Our biggest fear is that if ever there was a fire or an ambulance they would not get through.”

Mrs Wynell-Sutherland said things reached a head over the August Bank Holiday weekend, when the road was “so badly gridlocked” she struggled to get back to her home after going out.

She suggested that one side of the road should have a double yellow line on it to stop people parking on both sides and said more needs to be done to let people know there is “plenty of parking at Durdle Door.”

Mike Wiskin, Mrs Wynell-Sutherland’s neighbour, said that though yellow lines have been placed about 400 yards up the road, they do not come down far enough.

He said: “There needs to be a traffic plan up here – double yellow lines all the way down would be a big help.”

He added: “What has happened this weekend is absolutely unprecedented, nothing could move at all.”

Heather Maguire, also a resident of West Road with her husband Paddy, said that over the summer the traffic has been a “nightmare,” and that all of West Lulworth has been affected by it.

She called for action to alleviate the problem before there was an accident.

She said: “On Monday we were going to see my granddaughters in the pantomime at Weymouth Pavilion, but we could not get out of our driveway.”

She added that the situation was “definitely dangerous” and said that at times, particularly at weekends, an emergency vehicle would struggle to get up the road. 

Dorset County Council’s parking services team leader Paul Hutton, said: “We are aware of some issues in the area and are working closely with the parish council and the Lulworth Estate to look at suitable solutions.”