ROADWORKS in Tyldesley are causing long delays and misery for drivers.

Hough Lane will remain closed for five months for a gas main to be replaced as part of the guided busway works.

But drivers have faced even longer delays as BT carries out further roadworks, meaning temporary traffic lights have been in operation on Astley Street since Monday. Residents have taken to social media to vent their frustration and complain about two-hour school runs.

A spokesman for TfGM said: “We apologise for the delays experienced by some drivers in the Tyldesley area this week.

“As soon as we became aware of the extent of the problem the utilities contractor made some changes to the temporary traffic light signals on Astley Street to improve the flow of traffic.

“We are working with the contractor to minimise the length of time that the traffic lights on Astley Street will be in place. Initially this work was planned to take up to five days and we are hopeful that this will be reduced.”

Hough Lane will be closed to traffic until September while National Grid replaces a gas pipe as part of Transport for Greater Manchester’s guided busway works.

Mark Tilley, assistant director for infrastructure at Wigan Council, said: “The timing of this is unfortunate. The council was only informed about this additional work at the last moment.

“The council has limited powers when it comes to granting permission to organisations that want to carry out work on our road network. All we can do is try to influence the timings and mitigate any potential problems.”

The East Lancs Road into Manchester will also be affected by the Guided Bus route roadworks