A dispute over who is responsible for temporary traffic lights on one of the main routes in and out of Canterbury has left motorists frustrated.

The lights at each end of gas works in Whitstable Road are persistently getting stuck on red.

They malfunctioned at about 11pm on Monday night and again on Tuesday morning.

Police have also received calls about the lights.

Drivers have resorted to taking it in turns of five or six cars at a time to go through the roadworks when the lights are stuck.

Chef Andrew Towse, 21, who lives in Whitstable Road, said: “It’s annoying and seems to happen whenever it gets cold.”

Work on the road is being carried out by Southern Gas Networks. The company said it was Kent County Council’s responsibility to ensure the lights work properly.

But Kent County Council’s roads spokesman Phil Scrivener said: “Southern Gas has been given a permit to operate these temporary lights under manual control and it is their responsibility to make sure they work properly.”