Apologies have been issued for the traffic chaos caused by the temporary traffic lights on Charlton Road in Shepton Mallet.

The work is part of a multi-million package of improvements to traffic lights and crossings across the county by Somerset County Council. But the road works have led to anger and frustration with drivers reporting delays of up to 40 minutes.

The council has admitted that the delays have been "unacceptable" and say that adjustments have now been made which should help traffic flow more freely.

A spokesman said; "Quite a few concerns have been raised about the temporary lights on the A361 works on Charlton Road in Shepton Mallet which were causing significant delays at certain times.

"We asked the contractor to investigate the issue and they have made some adjustments to the sequencing which should now ensure a shorter waiting time, particularly heading west towards Shepton Mallet from the Frome direction, which appears to have been the longest delay. The contractor will continue to monitor the situation until the scheme is complete, which is due week commencing 17 October, weather permitting.

"Some disruption to the network is always expected when we undertake work, but there appears to have been an unacceptable delay at times for road users which has caused inconvenience for those affected. Please accept our sincere apologies for this.

"The scheme is part of an ongoing major programme to replace traffic signals which have reached the end of their working life across Somerset, requires excavation and removal of cables and ducting, followed by the fitting of new equipment.

"We are taking advantage of the ongoing work to simultaneously carry out resurfacing of a section of Fosse Lane and Charlton Road over October 14-15 to avoid further disruption at a later date. This does mean Fosse Lane will need to be closed at its junction with Charlton Roadd from 7am on October 14 to 7am on October 15 (Friday to Saturday), but Charlton Road will remain open."

You can find out more about the county-wide £11.6 million investment in new signals across Somerset here: www.travelsomerset.co.uk/signalsrefurbishment/