Motorists and bus users have voiced their anger after the completion of roadworks on a major road was delayed for a third time, describing the situation as “a travesty”.

The Comet reported last week that Six Hills Way in Stevenage, between the junctions of Shephall Way and Valley Way, is likely to remain shut until mid-December due to wet weather delaying “critical waterproofing works”.

The section of road, which closed on July 22, was initially expected to reopen on September 13 before being delayed twice due to complications with building a new bridge.

The roadworks, which are being carried out by Geoffrey Osborne Ltd on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council, were originally estimated to cost £347,000 but the Comet has been told a further expense of around £35,000 will be incurred by the county council.

The Comet has been inundated with angry responses about the latest delays.

Derek Jamieson, of Wheatlands in Stevenage, said: “The planning and execution of the works has been a joke but the joke is on us, the people of Stevenage.

“The whole point of doing the works in the summer was to lower the level of inconvenience for motorists during holiday times and the work would take place when the weather was reasonable. The people of Stevenage deserve some proper answers and not arrogant excuses.”

Norman Pipe, of Warwick Road in Stevenage, said: “The closure of this arterial route through Stevenage is a travesty that should not have happened. The inconvenience of many has been caused by the incompetence of a few.

“Wouldn’t the right thing to do be to dismiss the contractor and sack the staff responsible this debacle? Then they could get in a competent contractor to complete the work faster.”

The closure also affects a number of bus services, including Arriva’s SB1 and SB6, which have had to be diverted.

The bus company’s regional publicity manager Richard Lewis said: “This is well beyond the period that we had originally been advised and has caused frustration both for our customers and drivers. The road closure and the need to divert our buses are obviously beyond Arriva’s control but we are aware that those using the affected services have had to endure an exceptionally long period of disruption and I would thank them for their patience.”