Drivers regularly caught in gridlock backing up from major roundabout are blaming faulty signals for the problem.

Motorist Elizabeth Lally drives to work using the roundabout which links Junction 8 of the A1(M), the A602 and Graveley Road in Stevenage.

She said: “Monday morning was particularly bad. Traffic in Stevenage on the A602, both ways, was held up like I’ve never seen it before.

“Why aren’t there any traffic cops to help move the traffic?

“And who at Herts County Council is responsible for the timing of the lights, which is the source of the problem?”

Elizabeth says the problem has been going on for at least six weeks.

She said: “The lights are not fit for purpose. The traffic was backing up to Symonds Green and onto the A1(M) on Monday. This is just unacceptable.

“We pay our tax and someone is not doing their job.

“The problem is pushing traffic onto roads that can’t take that volume of traffic, and the police are just burying their heads in the sand.”

One Hitchin motorist who has been a regular victim of the tailbacks spent an hour in the jam on Monday morning.

He said: “The traffic was backed up from the A1(M) roundabout for a mile and you once you inched nearer you could see the lights change from red to green to red again with hardly any vehicles making progress.

“The frustrating thing is that it’s so unpredictable – it doesn’t seem to be governed by the rush hour, it just happens out of the blue.

“Lots of drivers who spot the traffic building up before they reach the dual carriageway stretch do a U-turn and head back the way they’ve came – that’s an accident waiting to happen.”

County highways contractor Ringway said: “The lights seem to be running on the same timings as they always have.

“It could be there is more traffic than normal because of the roadworks in Coreys Mill Lane, by the Lister Hospital, where they are installing a pedestrian crossing.

“Once that’s installed, things should return to normal.”

Herts police said: “The timing of traffic lights and traffic flow is the responsibility of Herts Highways and Highways England and any concerns regarding their operation should be directed to them.”