�Hospital patients and commuters have been stuck in gridlock by roadworks set to last another six weeks.

Hospital patients and commuters have been stuck in gridlock by roadworks set to last another six weeks.

Since Monday, drivers have been unable to turn off the A12 Eastern Avenue into either Barley Lane or Hainault Road, Goodmayes, due to mains replacement by National Grid Gas.

Although the start of the work was timed for the school half term holiday, motorists have been caught in long queues this week, and bus passengers on routes 296 and 396 have endured lengthy diversions.

Sue Mason, a clinical nurse specialist at King George Hospital, said: “I get to work and I am so livid it can take me a while to simmer down.

“When they last did works before Christmas it was atrocious – it took me an hour and 20 minutes to get home to Clayhall. This could be worse.

“Why should I and my colleagues have to pay the cost because the gas company wants to lay their pipes?”

Crossing Eastern Avenue from Barley Lane into Hainault Road, and vice versa, is also prohibited, and diversion signs are directing cars via Aldborough Road South and North and Whalebone Lane North.

Chairman of the Aldborough Hatch Defence Association Ron Jeffries called Transport for London’s (TfL’s) organisation “shambolic”.

He added: “The 296 bus will go along Painters Lane, which has a weight limit of 7.5tonnes. A single decker bus weighs nine tonnes and will damage the road.”

A spokesman for King George Hospital said yesterday (Wednesday): “We have made staff aware of the work and we have spoken to the London Ambulance Service to make sure patients aren’t affected.”

A TfL spokesman said: “TfL has worked closely with the London Borough of Redbridge in order to reduce the impact of these works.

“By organising the works to begin during the school half term holidays, we hope to be able to minimise initial disruption and complete the works as quickly as possible.”