Drivers are set to endure more misery after a major road was left off a list to be developed.

Plans for a Chideock Bypass have been debated for many years but without any financial commitment.

It was hoped that the Department for Transport's Major Roads Network (MRN) plan, which proposed that 5,000 miles of A Roads are brought into scope for new funding from the National Roads Fund for upgrades and improvements, would identify the Chideock Bypass as a potential scheme, despite the road being owned by Highways England.

But in a recent Dorset County Council (DCC) response to the Department for Transport, council chiefs did not include the road as a potential scheme to be developed.

The £100 million cash injection from central government will consider upgrade schemes such as bypasses, missing links between existing routes, road widening, major junction improvements and the use of technological and safety enhancements along stretches of the network.

Among those to have been identified include the North Dorchester Link Road and the A35 between Bere Regis and the Bakers Arms roundabout at Lytchett Minister near Poole.

Under the proposals, the road upgrades will be developed by councils for these particular routes, and, where possible, sub-national transport bodies, such as Transport for the North.

Councillor Daryl Turner, DCC cabinet member for the natural and built environment, said: "The Government's Major Road Network (MRN) consultation will lead to proposals for creating a network of England's most important routes which complement our motorways and strategic trunk roads.

"The A35 through Chideock is classed as a strategic trunk road and is managed by Highways England.

"We are working with Highways England to resolve the issues that surround this part of the route."

Without the proposals being put forward, development on the road will not start for the foreseeable future.

Anna Dunn, chairman of the Chideock Bypass Working Group, said: "Dorset County Council should be involved with putting pressure on Highways England to ensure the road is fit for purpose.

"DCC should also be very concerned about the pollution issues in the village and should be actively involved in developing schemes (not just more analysis and reports) to reduce all pollution in Chideock."

One reason why why the development may not have been chosen is due to the Chideock Parish Council not wishing to pursue the bypass.

Sir Oliver Letwin, MP for West Dorset, said: "The parish poll in Chideock indicated that Chideock residents were willing to support a bypass only if the bypass did not go through their parish.

"I understand that the parish council has accordingly decided not the pursue the question of a bypass.

"Under these circumstances, there is obviously no chance whatsoever of the government including any such proposal within any plans."

Chideock Parish Council did not wish to comment.

The most recent calls for a bypass came after an incident on Friday, when a broken down van on the A35 Main Street, caused delays in and out of Chideock.

Anna fears that the new housing developments in Axminster and Verse Farm are cause for concern as the infrastructure will not change, and that not having a bypass is a big safety issue.

Anna said: "The A35 literally cuts Chideock in half with many elderly or infirm residents/visitors finding it difficult to cross the road during busy times.

"Wheelchair users having to use the carriage way as there is either no pavement or too steep a camber on the pavement to use that safely."

Anna, who runs Chideock House B&B, also commented that a bypass would benefit trade, with tourists being able to properly enjoy the tranquility of the village, and that her B&B and others have an ongoing petition in each premises which guests can sign if they agree with the need for a bypass.

Anna said: "Needless to say, we have a good response from our guests as they leave."

To find out more about Chideock Bypass, you can visit chideockbypass.co.uk