TRAFFIC on a busy road plunged into chaos by new lights should be eased by the introduction of monitored CCTV cameras.

Motorists driving in and out of Darwen have slammed new traffic lights at Hollins Grove that were installed as part of the £40million Pennine Reach transport improvement project across the region.

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The lights, council bosses have said, will communicate with a further set to be installed at Birch Hall Avenue, but in the meantime they have been causing long tailbacks on both sides of the road.

And after receiving complaints from residents and business bosses in Darwen, council leader Kate Hollern said action had been taken to ease the problems.

She said: “I went to check it for myself and drove through there on Friday and it was an absolute nightmare.

“I said we needed to do something and find a solution to it with Capita.

“They have made some changes to the software so the lights will stay on green longer which should improve things from today. We are also putting CCTV in, so if there is a backlog we can remotely change it from the Capita building in Blackburn and that will be done by the end of the week.”

Responding to calls for the lights to be switched off, Coun Hollern said: “That would be a very last resort move.

“The problem with switching them off is that the pelican crossing would turn off as well as they are connected.

“When the scheme is completed next year and the lights are talking to each other it will be brilliant.

“But hopefully this will fix things in the short-term and I will be keeping my eye on it.”

Darwen MP Jake Berry launched a petition calling for action which attracted more than 1,500 signatures.

He said: “It is unbelievable people power for 1,500 people to sign my petition in just 24 hours and I am really pleased the council has listened and is looking to take urgent action to ease the traffic chaos.

“I and everyone else in Darwen will be keeping an eye on it and if the problems persist they will have to turn them off.”