HIGHWAYS engineers have admitted they will be forced to dig up the A590 once again because of faulty traffic lights.

Motorists have complained for a number of weeks about the new lights at the junction with the Beehive and Blue Light Hub in Ulverston.

The sequence of the lights gives more priority to the road cutting across the A590 - leading to Daltongate and the new business park.

While vehicles travelling between Barrow and Ulverston are waiting on red the lights afford two attempts to anyone on the road which is perpendicular to the main road.

Ulverston Mayor Sharon Webster said she the town council had flagged up the issue to Cumbria County Council a number of months ago.

“It causes a lot of congestion which is completely unnecessary,” she said.

“Vehicles are backing up along the A590 while the lights are on green twice for Daltongate and the road leading to the Beehive site.

"It's frustrating for everybody and it has a massive knock-on effect."

A spokesman for Cumbria County Council said highways bosses were aware of the problem with the lights.

They said damage to the traffic loops - the coils of wire underneath the road surface which detect waiting traffic - is to blame.

Repairing the damage is a ‘priority’ but is likely to lead to more roadworks and temporary traffic lights on the A590, the spokesman said.

“We are aware of sequencing issues with the traffic lights and have had signal engineers on site this week,” the spokesman said.

“We’ve discovered damage to the traffic loops on the access road.

“We are putting in place a plan to have this repaired - it is a priority but timescale for repair is yet to be confirmed.”

Councillor Dave Webster said the problem needed to be resolved as a matter of urgency.

"It's been causing huge tailbacks and no doubt the repairs will lead to traffic mayhem but it's got to be sorted - and the sooner the better," he said.

Cllr Andrew Butcher added: "I raised the point some time ago now about the lights at the blue light hub.

"If it was going to be for emergency services only I didn't have a problem.

"But with commercial units there that means traffic in and out all the time.

"The lights will cause bedlam. We'll have traffic backed up throughout Ulverston to Greenodd and to Lindal on the A590.

"This means that traffic will be looking for alternative routes which means putting rural areas and communities at risk.

"Let us not forget we have children, schools and elderly people on a lot of these rat runs."

Work on the Blue Light Hub was halted in August 2018 amid issues between main contractor Aspect Construction and the council.

Last month the county council confirmed a new contractor, Yorkshire-based Caddick Construction, was due to restart work on the Blue Light Hub in early 2020.

Businesses at the Beehive, including M&S, are due to open from March.