CONTRACTORS are causing mayhem for motorists with a scheme to install a new cycle lane near Cannington, according to Bridgwater's MP.

MP Ian Liddell-Grainger says workmen are spending too much time 'leaning on shovels' and too little using them, resulting in what he describes as ' utterly unacceptable levels of traffic disruption'.

The EDF-funded Somerset County Council scheme has been underway for months, with traffic heading to and from West Somerset currently held up by a new phase of road closures and temporary lights.

But Conservative Mr Liddell-Grainger said the project has been beset by a total lack of urgency from the start.

“What the contractors apparently fail to recognise is that the A39, for all its shortcomings, remains the major access road in and out of West Somerset, particularly for tourists, and that any disruption at a crucial point such as Cannington can lead to literally miles of queueing cars,” he said.

“You would think in view of the strategic importance of the route every effort would have been made to telescope the work and get it completed in the shortest possible time.

"Instead Parkinson’s Law appears to have been applied so the work is actually expanding to fill the time available for its completion – in this case a ludicrously long time for a relatively simple scheme.

“There is far too much shovel-leaning taking place and it comes as no surprise to be hearing complaints now about the network of narrow, local lanes being turned into hazardous rat-runs by drivers whose patience has run out.

“Tourism in West Somerset is now almost a year-round industry and I intend to see to it that any further disruption to visitors driving in and out of the district is kept to an absolute minimum.”

Somerset County Council say the work is progressing to plan, and is on track for lights to be removed on November 10.

An SCC spokesman said: “The scheme represents a significant investment in a key section of our county’s infrastructure. It involves construction of a new footway and cycleway alongside the A39 between Cannington and Sandford Hill Roundabout to provide a safe off-road facility for cyclists and pedestrians currently using the route and to encourage more to use the route in future.

"This significant investment in sustainable travel will directly benefit the area by improving connectivity and making it more attractive as a tourist destination.

"The scheme was carefully planned with the majority of work having taken place off the highway with no impact on traffic. The final phases next to the A39 do require temporary traffic lights to provide a safe working area for site staff and road users.

"The lights are being manually controlled and removed whenever possible, but, of course, we apologise for any short-term disruption while they are in place."