A traffic light fault on a busy High Wycombe road has caused “chaos” as residents returned to work following the Christmas break last week.

There was confusion among Bucks county councillors over the reason behind  the delays on London Road, after ward member for Ryemead and Micklefield, Julia Wassell, raised the issue at a cabinet meeting yesterday (January 7).

It was initially thought the sequence of the lights had been changed at the junction of Micklefield Road  as part of a major project to improve congestion on the busy stretch.

However, deputy cabinet member for transport, Paul Irwin, later confirmed a fault in the light system was to blame for the traffic nightmare.

Cllr Wassell says she was “inundated” with complaints from frustrated residents over the weekend who could not get to work or important appointments due to the problems.

She said: “Residents are really, really angry, and they can’t now get to work, they can’t get to school, they can’t take people to their appointments and they want it changed this week.

“It is chaos out there and it is dangerous. We have a tunnel in Micklefield Road that is filled with traffic, and no one can get through.”

According to council officers, engineers were working on the issue over the Christmas period, however it is still unclear when the traffic misery will end.

In emails sent to Cllr Wassell, a council officers said they are unable to say exactly when the lights will be fixed.

The email said: “When the fault was first identified we thought it would be a quick fix, similar to the hundreds we do on the network each year.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to pinpoint the exact cause of the problem over the Christmas period, despite a number of engineers having tried.

“Until we can identify the root cause, I am unable to give a firm time for repair, but we are actively working with our contractor, Siemens, to try and get this resolved as soon as possible as we are aware of the sensitivity of this part of the network and the disruption this is causing.”