TEMPORARY traffic lights installed in the wake of a serious crash in Colchester have caused delays of as long as “30-minutes", motorists have said.

Two people were rushed to hospital following a crash in Brook Street at about 7.35pm on Sunday.

One eyewitness told the Gazette they had seen a total of seven emergency service vehicles at the busy junction between Brook Street, Magdalen Street, Barrack Street, and Wimpole Road.

Railings and traffic lights were damaged in the crash meaning temporary traffic lights had to be put in place.

They were eventually removed on Thursday but up until that point drivers say they caused traffic chaos and heavy congestion. 

The same happened in February when Colchester commuters were gridlocked due to an overlap of five different roadworks in the city.

One driver at the time also said adding 20 minutes to the commute from Brook Street was “sadly the new normal” outside of half-terms or weekends.

Gazette: Damage - The collision on Sunday in the junction between Brook Street and Magdalen Street meant temporary traffic lights had to be installedDamage - The collision on Sunday in the junction between Brook Street and Magdalen Street meant temporary traffic lights had to be installed (Image: Murat Oktay)

This week, Simon Collis, 42, said he spent half an hour waiting in traffic on both Wednesday and Thursday due to the temporary lights.

He said: “The lights are taking too long and causing traffic issues making cars do illegal U-turns on the road.

“The temporary traffic lights do not work, and the temporary traffic lights at the bottom of Hythe hill doesn’t help the situation.”

Mr Collis said he had contacted inspectors from Essex Highways but received no response.

He added: It’s all fixed now, but the last couple of days there has been a building up of traffic, with it now taking 30 minutes on both sides.”

“Another issue is to the U-turns which I have seen so many times, particularly before the Aldi junction which is illegal”.

A spokesman for Essex Highways said: "Following a road collision with a traffic signal pole on Sunday, we installed temporary traffic lights on Brook Street while we worked to replace the damaged pole.

"We apologise for any delays caused and thank residents for their cooperation and understanding. We can confirm works finished Thursday afternoon and the temporary traffic lights have been removed."