A 'planned' road closure that went horribly wrong at the weekend - and resulted in thousands of motorists being stranded in their cars for several hours - has led to a rethink over such blanket closures in future.

The Department of Regional Development's Roy Spiers said the amount of disruption on the city-bound side of the M2 motorway was "unexpected".

"I didn't honestly expect the delays to be as significant as they have been. In that respect I will be reviewing everything we do," he said.

"This was a one-off to do essential surfacing to allow us to complete the improvement works we have underway."

There was a huge outcry as hundreds of people were held up for hours on the motorway, some missing flights and ferries.

Drivers found themselves trapped in long queues - unable to exit the motorway - for up to three hours after it was closed between Sandyknowes and Greencastle because of ongoing road works.

Some motorists reported seeing parents taking their children to the toilet on the side of the road while others witnessed dozens of angry drivers almost come to blows.

Earlier today, Roads Service and the contractor apologised for delays but defended the decision to shut down the section, saying it was a "planned closure".

"The planned closure to complete final surfacing of lanes two and three of the motorway did result in a disruption to traffic," a statement said.

"Roads Service and the contractor would like to apologise for any delays.

"The work was completed all within the allocated time and the road was reopened at 10.15pm last night. There are no further day time closures planned for this section of road."

However, the friction generated by the traffic 'chaos' during the resurfacing work has left both the Roads Service and their governmental 'parent' Department of Regional Development embarrassed.

(BMcC/JM)