MOTORISTS had to drive gingerly to avoid causing severe damage to their cars after roadworks left a busy street looking like "a motorway in Afghanistan".

MOTORISTS had to drive gingerly to avoid causing severe damage to their cars after roadworks left a busy street looking like "a motorway in Afghanistan".

Garrison Lane – one of the main routes to Felixstowe seafront – was left potholed and strewn with chunks of rock and chippings after contractors completely stripped off the surface.

It left manholes and drain covers standing proud in the road, and drivers had to pick their way carefully round the obstacles.

Today the road was closed to traffic as resurfacing work, expected to last all week, got underway.

Drivers though were left complaining about the situation – with many questioning why the road hadn't been closed in the first place.

"It was a nightmare driving down it. I was so afraid the underside of my car was going to hit a manhole cover or a rock was going to clobber my paint work," said one driver.

"They should have closed the road and put a diversion in place."

Another driver described the road as looking "like a motorway in Afghanistan" and said it was just like a rough rock-strewn track.

The stretch of Garrison Lane affected runs from the rail bridge down to the traffic lights, and part of Newry Avenue, Cobbold Road, St Andrew's Road and Princes Gardens have also been closed off.

Town councillor Barry Gillings, who lives on Garrison Lane, said: "It is a dreadful mess at the moment and we cannot get in or out of our property.

"People were still able to use it at the weekend but had to be very cautious indeed in case they ruined their cars, though we did not hear any reports of any serious incidents."

No one was available to comment from Suffolk County Council transport department.