Nobody particularly likes getting stuck in roadworks, but there are certain areas of the county that seem to be dug-up more than others.

And for the residents of Wells, and people commuting in and out of the city, it feels like barely a week goes by without a new set up temporary traffic lights going up, alongside red road signs warning of possible delays.

And after three months of traffic being snarled up by works being done to the traffic lights on Strawberry Road, there was hope that the end was in sight - up until a new sign went up, warning of works about to get underway at the traffic lights on Portway and expected to last for four months.

"I've never in my life seen anywhere with so many consistent roadworks, this even beats out London," one frustrated resident wrong on a community Facebook page.

"Obviously no chance of the powers to be to come up with an explanation," wrote another.

So, why are there so many roadworks in Wells?

A Somerset County Council spokesperson said: "The ongoing works located on the Burcott Road/Strawberry Way junction will be completing in a few days and are part of our major county-wide traffic signals recovery programme to replace equipment at the end of its working life. We have an extensive programme which needs to be carried out in Wells.

"Our team will shortly be starting on the Portway/Strawberry Way junction and this will be followed by the Strawberry Way South crossing (near Lidl). The programme moves on to the Wookey Hole/Portway junction and the East Liberty crossing later in 2023. Information on the scheme was first published last summer and we are keeping this updated on a regular basis here: www.travelsomerset.co.uk/signalsrefurbishment/"

"The current signals are nearly 30 years old, if they're not replaced they will fail causing even more disruption. The work includes resurfacing of the road in the immediate area which will help ensure our team do not need to return for many years to come.

"So far, we've carried out this work in Taunton, Yeovil, Shepton Mallet, Bridgwater, and Chard, as well as Wells. We fully appreciate that there is an impact on the network, the operation to remove signals involves extensive excavation to remove ducting and wiring under the road, and we do our utmost working with the contractor to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum."

But why is the amount of roadworks in Wells seemingly so high compared to other places?

"Unfortunately due to the need to provide essential utilities such as gas, electricity and broadband, operators do need to access the network, and it's not ideal, but inevitable that there will be works running concurrently with the signals recovery programme.

"We do appreciate this can be inconvenient and there has been concentrated activity on the A39 in recent years due to new development in Wells.

"Every day Somerset County Council gets about 180 requests from operators to access the network, more than 3,600 every month, and about 80% of these come from utilities.

"We try to balance the needs of householders and new developments with the needs of road users, but sometimes delays are inevitable and what our team tries to do is ensure this is kept to a minimum. Occasionally as happened recently in Wells, temporary signals fail, causing unacceptable delays. This was relayed to the utility firm responsible with the aim of ensuring where possible it doesn't happen again."