MOTORISTS are experiencing delays on Salisbury's streets as temporary traffic lights cause tailbacks on a major route in and out of the city.

Roadworks started today on the A30 and are expected to last for five weeks.

Queues stretched onto the ring road as tailbacks began to build up.

The southbound lane is closed at the junction with Barrington Road, by the crematorium, and temporary signals are controlling the flow of cars meaning queues heading in both directions.

The work follows 12 crashes at the junction over the past decade, resulting in 13 injuries, five of which were classified as serious.

A new right turn lane will be installed, the carriageway will be widened, and road markings will be improved.

There will also be improvements to the central traffic island to help pedestrians and carriageway surfacing where the widening has taken place.

Philip Whitehead, cabinet member for highways, said: “We constantly monitor the collision rates on our roads and address any issues we can.

"We always have to balance any measures we put in place to ensure we don’t cause unnecessary delays.

“There have been some issues at this junction, and this proposed work will help.

"As always though, I would urge people to drive safely and according to the conditions.”