A £1.3 million scheme to ease traffic gridlock on Powick roundabout, near Worcester, may have to be scaled down because of the high cost.

Worcestershire County Council officers have revealed that negative comments from a public consultation may result in the project being changed.

The scheme proposes traffic lights on the island, improved street lighting, a new cycle and pedestrian footway, and widening of the A4440 exit on to Temeside Way.

John Fraser, head of highways at the county council, said: "We're still looking the comments we have had from the consultation, including the ones we are still receiving now.

"The total cost of it is £1.3 million, and some people have said it is a lot of money to spend if we are only getting marginal benefit.

"We are still considering the options, but we said when the consultation was launched we would not carry out a scheme that delivers only marginal benefit.

"We haven't had hundreds of responses to the consultations, more likes dozens. We haven't set a date for it, but at some time in the near future we will sit down with the cabinet member and go through it."

There had been rumours circulating at County Hall over the last few days that the project is threatened with the axe. There is no scaled-down option available for people to give their opinion on.

Liberal Democrat Coun Tom Wells, who represents Powick, is angry that scrapping the scheme could end up costing taxpayers' cash.

He said: "The consultation was flawed because people were given no alternatives to look at. I want to know how much all this has cost the taxpayer.

"The county council used a consultant to draw up the designs. The congestion at the southern link is the problem - why is it only now that the county council realises the scheme is heavily flawed?"

Most of the funding of the Powick scheme would have come from Government cash after it was awarded £800,000 for it last December.

The money means the door is still open for a new scheme to be drawn up to beat congestion at the island.