A Suffolk village has been plunged into "traffic chaos" by roadworks associated with a new development, according to the boss of a transport firm based there.

Simon Wilson, director of HC Wilson Transport, said he feared for the safety of pedestrians using New Road in Elmswell due to lorries diverted from School Road, which has been closed by Suffolk County Council’s highways team to enable utilities to be installed and highway improvements.

The works, which are set to be in place for 12 weeks, are connected to a Bloor Homes development of 86 homes on a 14-acre site off School Road.

Mr Wilson said: “The diversionary route is putting traffic down a two-way road which is totally unsuitable. It is just going to lead to accidents.

“There are pavements with people walking with prams around the village. If you have got trucks with paths where people have to go, sooner or later somebody is going to get injured.”

Another pinch point, he added, was close to the village station where lorries were often backed up close to the level crossing where pedestrians would often wait to cross.

He said appropriate infrastructure should have been installed before planning permission had been granted for the 86 homes.

He has written to Bury St Edmunds MP Jo Churchill and the county council’s highways department about the situation, which he described as "absolute madness".

“I feel sorry for any visitor from another county or country visiting Suffolk trying to negotiate Elmswell and thinking, ‘this is utter madness, why have they directed HGVs along such an unfit piece of road’?

A spokesperson for Suffolk County Council said if the works had been carried out beforehand, there would have had to be multiple road closures in the village with a combined duration of more than 12 weeks, which would have caused more disruption.

She said Cooks Road was originally intended as a diversion route for lorries, but this had to be re-considered due to concerns about the safety of schoolchildren.

She added: “Network Assurance, working with Bloor Homes, will continue to monitor the works and surrounding area whilst the works are in progress.

“This is to ensure all those affected by the road closure, including the travelling public, residents and school children, are kept safe for the duration of the works and they will work with Bloor Homes to implement any further mitigation measures as they are required.”