Businesses in Portway, Frome, claim they are losing money due to ongoing roadworks.

The Portway petrol station and the Train Station Gym have both spoken to the Somerset Standard about the issue and said the traffic signals are having a bad effect on their businesses.

Sylvia Shailes, who works as a supervisor in the petrol station, said trade had dipped considerably since the works began seven weeks ago.

She said: "We've been badly affected by these road works.

"Drivers can't get into the forecourt because of the way the traffic stops outside.

"When the work started we were completely blocked and had to ask the contractors to move the lights, which they did.

"Drivers are being put off so we are losing a lot of custom – it really is a nightmare."

Train Station Gym manager Anna Duval said customers were arriving late for appointments and therefore losing exercise time.

She said: "Our customers are having to wait such a long time in the traffic queues they are arriving late.

"They only have a limited amount of time, for example a lunchtime or an hour before they pick up their children from school, so it is affecting us as well.

"And I am having to leave home 15 minutes earlier to make sure I get to work on time."

The roadworks have been organised by Somerset County Council's highways department to replace the permanent traffic lights and are expected to take another six weeks to complete.

A spokeswoman for the council said: "Somerset County Council is at present updating the traffic signals at the Locks Hill/Portway junction in Frome.

"The signals at this junction were installed in the early 1980s and we can no longer economically carry out repairs to the existing equipment, as it is obsolete.

"The new signals will use state of the art LED signal heads which will decrease power consumption and help reduce ongoing maintenance costs.

"We would like to thank residents and businesses for their patience during these essential works."

However, there is hope that the predicted traffic chaos in the centre of town may not be as bad as first feared.

The spokeswoman also stated that the Bath Street road works had been delayed until Monday and will last for about two-and-a-half weeks instead of a month.