Hundreds of motorists in Stafford faced chaos today as delayed roadworks began on one of the town’s key commuter routes.

Drivers faced a wait of as much as three quarters of an hour on Newport Road this morning as temporary traffic lights were installed near Kingsway Roundabout – causing jams all the way back to the M6 bridge.

The lights, which will be in place until March, have been set up by Severn Trent Water as part of a £160,000 project to replace sewer pipes.

The company was criticised by drivers today – who claimed the lights did not let enough cars through at a time, and that they were in the wrong place.

Mary Cooper, from Carisbrooke Drive, in Stafford, said she was left waiting 45 minutes to travel into Stafford town centre after 7am. She added: “It was horrendous on the Newport Road this morning. The lights are right on the bend as you come off the roundabout and it’s causing no end of problems. The traffic was backed up right to the bridge at Sundown Drive.”

She added: “The lights were not letting enough cars get through, only about six at a time before they changed again.”

Mother-of-two Kirsten Baulch, of Newport Road, said: “It’s a nightmare. It’s causing delays across Stafford. Traffic in the town is bad enough as it is without this – and it was only a couple of years ago they completely dug up Newport Road to renew the water system.’’ Severn Trent Water has said the roadworks are essential and require one side of the road to be closed in both directions. The project will see 210 metres of sewer pipes replaced along Newport Road, from Castlefields Island to Rowley Avenue.

The aim is to prevent sewers flooding homes and gardens in the area. The work was due to start a week ago and is not expected to finish until March.

A spokesman for Severn Trent said: “The lights are now up and will remain up until the essential works are completed in March.”

She added: “In order to carry out the work safely and efficiently, we need to close one side of the carriageway to traffic.

“We are aware that these works may be disruptive and we are committed to reducing this wherever possible.

“We have been consulting with the local highways department to come up with a plan that will keep traffic moving. Among our measures to ensure this happens is to have temporary traffic lights in place to keep things flowing.

“We aim to get these works completed as quickly as possible, but in the meantime we would like to apologise for any inconvenience or disruption that our essential works may cause.”

The company has also arranged for work to take place during the February half-term to try to lessen the impact, and the final road resurfacing will only take place in off-peak hours.

Severn Trent Water serves more than 3.7 million homes and businesses in England and Wales.