Motorists have hit out at a 'crazy' council for putting a 41-mile diversion around a 65ft-stretch of roadworks.

A small section of the A352 in Godmanstone, Dorset will be closed between Monday and Friday next week for work on a sewage system.

Just over 65ft of the carriageway will be closed off by workmen but Dorset County Council have given an official diversion measuring an incredible 41 miles.

Dorset County Council have given an official diversion measuring an incredible 41 miles - and anyone caught using the closed stretch of road will be handed a £1,000 fine

A small section of the A352 in Godmanstone, Dorset will be closed for work on a sewage system

A sign at the location of the proposed road closure in Godmanstone informing motorists of the dates of the drainage works

The usual route along the road takes less than two seconds to cover while traveling at the 30mph speed limit.

The council's diversion is estimated to take around an hour to complete.

The diversion route will take motorists along the A352 to Charlton Down and Charminster before taking the A37 towards Grimstone.

It then follows the A37, crossing the county border into Yeovil, Somerset before joining the A30 towards Sherborne and heading back into Dorset.

Drivers will then head back south, passing through the villages Middlemarsh, Minterne Magna and Cerne Abbas.

Anyone caught using the closed stretch of road will be handed a £1,000 fine.

Dorset County Council say the lengthy detour is necessary because it 'has to be suitable for the type of traffic that would normally use the closed section'.

But furious residents have hit out at the 'ridiculous' measure.

Heather Chapman, who runs Green Valley Yurts, which is near the closure, said: 'It's just crazy and there doesn't seem to be any logic to it.

'It's a ridiculous route and everybody who's local will just ignore it and go different ways.

'Luckily my daughter is on half-term while the work is going on otherwise getting her to school could have been difficult.'

Other residents pointed out the impact on the environment that the prolonged route would have.

Steve Smith said: 'Where are Extinction Rebellion when you need them? This is what they should be protesting about, campaigning against stupid decisions like this would get them sympathy instead of stopping trains that carry hundreds of people.'

The usual route along the road takes less than two seconds to cover while traveling at the 30mph speed limit. The council's diversion is estimated to take around an hour to complete

The council argued the diversion had to use A roads, and said locals would be likely to ignore the diversion and use smaller roads to get around the work.

A spokesman for the council said: 'The closure has been requested to allow Dorset Drainage Services to make a sewer connection within the highway.

'The official diversion has to be suitable for the type of traffic that would normally use the closed section.

'This is an A road so we have used other A roads for the diversion.

'Smaller local traffic will undoubtedly use lower classified roads to bypass the closure.