Frustrated councillors in Attleborough said the town had lost out again after Norfolk County Council confirmed it has no mone for a scheme to improve traffic flow in the one-way system.

Town leaders are calling for a junction on the congested network, between Church Street and Surrogate Street, to be re-prioritised, which would effectively turn the town centre into a large roundabout.

During a meeting on Monday night, members of Attleborough Town Council claimed the change would be a simple way to try to ease the gridlock which is often experienced by drivers travelling through the one-way system.

But Paul Donnachie, from Norfolk County Council's highways department, said 'substantial' cuts as a result of the national spending review meant no money was left in the pot to consider such a project in the near future.

He added that the department's budget had been slashed from nearly �11m to just �2m, and only �150,000 had been allotted annually for traffic management schemes across Norfolk – the category in which changes to the one-way system would fall.

'Unfortunately in the current financial climate we cannot deliver a scheme at the moment but it had been added to our list for possible inclusion on our programme as and when the finance presents itself,' said Mr Donnachie.

Peter Neal said the idea to alter the priority of traffic at the junction had been flouted for about 10 years following a similar change to the junction at Connaught Plain.

He said: 'Yet again I feel like Attleborough has been totally and utterly let down by the Highways Authority now and over what we have been promised for the last ten years.

'We always hear there's not enough money and people blame each other, but the fact is Attleborough has not got what Attleborough wants and Attleborough has not got what Attleborough deserves.'

Criticism was also laid on plans to create a cycleway connecting the railway station and Attleborough High School, incorporating Station Road, Surrogate Street and Norwich Road.

Councillors said the route could have been better placed and money for the project, which is yet to be finally costed, could have been spent more effectively on other schemes in the town.

However Mr Donnachie said as the cycleway would be partly funded by sustainable transport charity Sustrans the money could not be diverted elsewhere.