FRUSTRATED motorists reported standstill traffic because of temporary traffic lights.

Engineers are working to fix a collapsed manhole cover which needs urgent repair on the B1029 in Brightlingsea.

But drivers heading in and out of the faced long delays because of the lights which are causing two miles of tailbacks.

Mary Adams said: "There is traffic chaos in Brightlingsea this morning.

"Traffic lights on Thorrington Road are causing traffic gridlock and queues for more than two miles back into the town.

"The sequence is ridiculous and not letting enough cars through.

"It is the same on the return journey causing traffic to sit in Tenpenny Hill and half way back towards Clacton."

Jason Theobald added: "It is chaos leaving Brightlingsea as ill timed temporary traffic lights cause massive delays.

"It has taken more than an hour to travel less than one mile.

"Yesterday was bad but not as bad as this morning."

An Essex Highways spokesman, said: “Our manager is now on site and the traffic lights have been re-aligned so they are working correctly.

"It seems that either through vandalism or a vehicle strike, the traffic light head, which includes the traffic sensor, had been moved round so that it no longer reacted to the queueing traffic as designed.

"Queues are now minimal and we apologise to everyone who was unduly delayed there this morning.

"The crew are also set to replace the manhole cover and remove the traffic lights today.”