A temporary set of traffic lights caused rush hour chaos in Witham.

Fuming motorists found themselves in a three quarters-of-a-mile queue when the lights, just metres apart, brought the flow of traffic to a halt just 100 metres from the Lynfield Garage in Hatfield Road on Tuesday morning.

Chelmsford bound drivers took around half an hour to get through the town.

Sheila Wilson, an accounts clerk at Lynfield garage, said: "The lights appeared sometime Monday, and caused absolute chaos. The worst thing about it was they were only a little way apart and there was no work being done on the road.

"I live in Stanway, and I had a trouble-free journey in spite of the snow on Tuesday until I got to the roundabout at the junction with Newland Street and Mill Lane.

"Then everything came to a halt and it took me half-an-hour to get to work."

Robbie Jamieson, Essex County Council senior traffic and road safety engineer said he had received a number of complaints from angry motorists, and had sent an inspector to investigate.

He said the lights had been placed in the road to keep vehicles off new Tarmac laid over roadworks carried out by British Telecom.

"They went up on Monday to protect the surface until it had cured, and they were removed midday on Tuesday," he said.

Published Friday, January 10, 2003

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