A MIX-UP in electricity source has seen traffic lights near the Folly roundabout in Andover remain under wraps for months.

The lights, which were erected earlier this year, created rush hour traffic chaos due to diversions put in place during installation.

Hampshire county councillor Tim Rolt says he has tried to get to the bottom of the problem.

He said: “I’ve found out from one of the highway engineers that SSE couldn’t get the supply from where they’d originally hoped to get it, then they thought they’d have to get it from across the River Anton and now they believe they’ve found somewhere else.

“The matter has been escalated with SSE by Hampshire County Council.”

A spokesman for SSE said: “We visited the site this week and have identified an alternative supply we can access to connect the traffic lights.

“Once we are given permission from Hampshire County Council to proceed, we can arrange for these works to be completed as soon as possible,” the spokesman added.

The positioning of the lights has also caused consternation among residents, who felt that they were ill-placed just off the roundabout.

In a letter to the Andover Advertiser, Saxon Fields resident Norman Fisher said: “As a daily user of the Folly roundabout into town I have long been of the opinion that the traffic lights (still in mothballs) are an absolute waste of money.

“I dread to think of the chaos this will cause to traffic if ever these lights are put into operation. Which committee of experts ever thought this project was a good idea?”

The location of the lights came under fire on social media as well, in the I Grew up in Andover group on Facebook.

Terry Hall said: “That roundabout is going to be awful to drive round.”

Penny Lewis said: “I don’t know what it is with Andover putting traffic lights just off a roundabout.

“When a roundabout is designed to keep traffic flowing how does sticking traffic lights just off them work?”

Hampshire County Council declined to comment.