Motorists told to avoid M4 after traffic light failure

Some irate motorists told NewburyToday that it was taking them more than an hour and a half to get from Newbury town centre to Chieveley Services this morning (Tues).
The Highways agency said the repair work was likely to take several hours but said they expect the issue to be fully resolved by tomorrow morning's rush hour.
In the meantime, it has asked people to find an alternative route wherever possible.
There is currently heavy congestion on the M4 eastbound between junctions 14 for Hungerford and 13 for Chieveley, which is also affecting the A34 northbound between the A343 and the M4.
There are delays of at least 40 minutes on both roads.
Earlier this morning, there were also long delays between junctions 12 for Theale and 13 for Chieveley because of the problem.
The Highways Agency says the problem is being caused by a broken loop at the junction, which is sending incorrect data to the traffic lights.
One motorist took to twitter to vent their frustration, with one, @leewclark, saying: “Yes it’s been like this for the last 2 days, 1.30mins from Newbury and I’m not even on M4 yet.”
Another, Graham Hives, wrote on Facebook: “Caused by the same problem we had just yesterday and last week – faulty light phasing at the Junction 13 roundabout.
“Who is responsible for these lights? And surely the police or the Highways Agency could take charge of the lights and free up the gridlock.”
A spokesman for the Highways Agency said: "We have engineers there now but the likelihood is that it won't be fixed until this evening.
"We are asking people to find alternatives to their journeys where possible."
Some motorists have reported being severely delayed three times in the last week.