TEMPORARY traffic lights on a key West Country road will finally be removed this autumn – more than two years after they were first installed.

Since July 2021, motorists travelling across on the A30 across the Devon-Somerset border have had to contend with temporary lights at Crawley Farm, located between Chard and Yarcombe.

The lights were installed by Devon County Council following a landslip which threatened the eastbound carriageway, with motorists facing delays of several minutes ever since.

The council has now confirmed it will finally be removing the lights and fixing the problem in the autumn – at an estimated cost of around £400,000.

The A30 serves as the main road between Chard and Honiton, as well as providing a crucial diversionary route when the A303 around Ilminster is congested.

It also provides one of the main thoroughfares through the Blackdown Hills area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB), with the closed section being in close proximity to both the Ferne Animal Sanctuary and the popular South Somerset Holiday Park.

The council said the road closure had been necessary to prevent traffic heading into Somerset from weakening the bank further, which could put motorists, pedestrians and the nearby farm at risk.

A spokesman said: “A bank slip occurred at this location in July 2021. The traffic lights are in place to keep people safe by ensuring they don’t get too close to the failed edge when travelling past.

“This also ensures that the weight of traffic doesn’t cause the unstable bank to slip further.

“We are currently progressing designs for a stabilisation scheme which we anticipate will be completed and the road re-opened in early autumn.”

The council justified the delay in implementing the scheme, stating it had encountered a number of different issues in attempting to solve the problem.

The spokesman added: “The delay in completing the work has mainly been caused by site difficulties and constraints including overhead cables, access issues, and proximity to the farm and livestock.

“A number of alternative designs have been explored but unfortunately haven’t been viable due to difficulties in either working from the road and requiring a full road closure, or getting large machinery in and working from the farm below.

“Our current estimate is around £400,000, which includes things like surveys, geotechnical investigations, design, land agreement and construction costs.

“The traffic lights are a temporary measure and will be removed on completion of the stabilisation work.”