A BARRIER will be erected outside a car dealership after its owners protested against roadworks taking place nearby.

Dave McEwan and Darrel Wilton, co-owners of Carwise in Crossways, near Dorchester, parked cars across Warmwell Road to stop traffic going past and flinging gravel at cars on their forecourt.

Dorset County Council's highways department has responded by agreeing to build a barricade in front of the forecourt while work continues.

Mr McEwan said: "When the council did this kind of work about three years ago it caused more than £5,000 damage to the cars on our forecourt.

"The gravel flying up from the road smashed windscreens, damaged paintwork and smashed headlights and our insurers didn't want to know about it.

"This time we had blocked the road off with cars to stop the workmen coming down here with machinery and they turned around and went back.

"But the council has been very helpful and someone is now in the process of trying to get some sort of barricade put up to protect our cars as a short-term measure."

Mr McEwan added that he would not block off the Warmwell Road again and was happy with the council's response to the situation He said: "The speed limit down the road outside is 40mph but I would say around 70 per cent of the people who drive down this road exceed that.

"There are signs put out to tell drivers to slow down to 20 while the works are going on but how many of them do you think pay attention to that?"

Rod Turner, who is assistant highways manager at Dorset County Council, said: "No gravel has been flying up yet because that part of the road has not been surfaced yet.

"The owners had anticipated a problem and blocked the road to stop the work going on.

"I was called to go and speak to them about their concerns and they explained the problem. So we came up with the solution putting a plastic barrier up to mitigate the effect of the works.

"When people express concerns to us we do our best to get them sorted out."