A MATRIX sign on the A590 which cost almost half a million pounds is out of action after a fault was detected - just over a year since it was installed.

Highways England invested heavily last March in putting up the signs at the two ends of the A590 – one on the Dalton bypass, and one between the M6 and Brettargh Holt.

Motorists and businesses have regularly criticised the effectiveness of them since they were activated in March, complaining that they rarely display information, even when there have been serious incidents on the A590.

The two “variable message signs” were part of a combined programme of work.

Design and preparation cost £155,842 and construction cost £741,523. That made a total cost of £897,366, with each costing £448,683.

Since last week, a portable matrix sign has been in place close to the broken sign, to alert motorists to the road and lane closures at Greenodd.

A spokesman for Highways England confirmed there was a fault with the sign, which was being investigated.

The spokesman added that as well as the temporary, portable sign in use, Highways England makes use of public notices, a weekly roadworks bulletin, social media and news releases to inform motorists about potential details.

READ MORE: Road closures to cause delays on the A590

Last December, the Evening Mail revealed that since it was installed in March, the sign displayed only nine messages in its first eight and a half months.

Highways England's own policy for using the signs states: "VMS provide the capability to display a wide range of warning messages and other traffic information.

"The purpose of VMS is to enable Highways England control room operators to meet the agency’s obligations as a network operator.

"These obligations include incident management, reducing congestion, informing motorists, improving network performance and ensuring the safety of road users and workforce.

"VMS shall only be used for the management of temporary situations. Events which require long term signing in a static location shall always be shown on permanent traffic signs."