Temporary traffic lights were installed when work started last week to upgrade the pelican crossing to a puffin crossing.

Motorists endured a miserable time crawling in long queues as they drove into town and the pain will not ease until December 12 when the work finishes.

Swan Street and Station Street are closed while the work takes place, meaning motorists face a diversion along St Thomas's Road and the Crescent to get to the Sheep Market, a situation which angered traders.

Councillor Howard Johnson told a meeting of South Holland District Council on Wednesday that he foresaw the problems.

He wrote to Lincolnshire County Council highways requesting a suspension of the work before it started "based on necessity" and said the current situation must be improved.

He said: "It's difficult for shops and people to understand what's going on with these works.

"I shall now be seeking better signposting, because we don't want it to end in total gridlock. What is there at the moment can be improved upon."

The Lincolnshire Free Press has received several inquiries from readers wanting answers to why a worker on the Winsover Road construction site appears to be sitting on a seat for most of the day at the Station Street junction.

Lincolnshire County Council has provided this explanation: "As we have created a system which allows access to the road, including passage for buses and emergency vehicles, this means that the route is not fully physically blocked.

"Consequently, a traffic management gate manager is employed to prevent vehicles from inadvertently proceeding through the closed zone which would put the safety of motorists and the workforce at risk."