CONES are due to go up again at one of the New Forest's worst bottlenecks - only 18 months after it was last under repair.

Romsey Road junction at Lyndhurst was resurfaced in March last year as part of the prestigious £800,000 High Street improvement project.

But the surface is already crumbling - due to the "grinding wheels" of hundreds of heavy vehicles a day turning left at the lights towards the M27 and A31, say Hampshire road bosses.

They want to close the left-turn again for at least three days to lay a newly-invented surfacing called Hardicrete, designed for extreme conditions.

But the news has been greeted with exasperation by village shopkeepers, struggling against a succession of trade-hitting challenges over the last two years - including months of rain, long-running roadworks and foot-and-mouth disease.

"This is getting beyond a joke," said Clive Archer of High Street gift shop Paws in the Forest, who is chairman of Lyndhurst Chamber of Commerce.

"It has got to the point where enough is enough. If they close the junction again we will demand compensation for lost trade. Who is going to drive the long way round to browse in our shops? They'll go elsewhere.

"Why can't the roads contractors get it right? I'm not an engineer but I can see the junction surface seems to be slipping. They need to go deeper and make a firmer foundation." Mr Archer was supported by Lyndhurst parish councillors in his demand for the roadworks to be postponed until after the festive season.

Cllr Mark Gammon said: "Could the work be done in January and not in the weeks leading up to Christmas which are so important for our shops?

Cllr Pat Wyeth asked that the contractors work overnight to reduce the closure time to a minimum.

Cllr George Bisson said: "The resurfacing has got to be done. We've all seen it breaking and shifting. If the surface has got to 'cure' it is bound to take a certain time, especially in cold weather."

A spokesman for Hampshire County council said they were sorry the closure was needed.

"We'll do all we can to minimise the impact on traders and drivers," she added.