A scheme to improve traffic congestion at Yarmouth's notorious Gapton Hall roundabout will take three years to implement - despite pleas for the work to start now.

A scheme to improve traffic congestion at Yarmouth's notorious Gapton Hall roundabout will take three years to implement - despite pleas for the work to start now.

There are plans to install a £250,000 set of hi-tech lights which can be turned on and off depending on traffic flow, by 2010 to alleviate the misery caused to thousands of motorists who regularly get caught up in major jams at Gapton Hall.

However the Highway Agency's time scale has been criticised as being far too slow and demands have been issued that action is needed now to free up frequent grid locks at the one of the main routes into the seaside resort.

Bert Collins, county councillor for the borough speaking at a roundabout update meeting yesterday, said it was inconceivable that they can put a man on the moon and yet nothing can be done now to improve the roads around the area.

But Rangit Mistry, from the Highways Agency, told county and borough councillors that the plans could not be speeded up because of the bureaucratic process necessary to see if the scheme would work.

In response to criticism that there was a tangible lack of action over the traffic light project, Mr Mistry said a model of the plans would be available for scrutiny in January.