A NEW batch of ambulances has delayed the start of a pioneering traffic scheme in Worcester.

Worcester City Council says the Angel Street bollards are ready to go into action, but extra funding for the ambulance service has put the date back.

Engineers say the new ambulances would be barred from entering the zone because transponders which lower the bollards have yet to be fitted.

The ambulances are based in Redditch but you never know if one will be sent to Worcester, said Tom Comerford, a senior engineer at the city council.

It's critical to get the transponders fitted to all the vehicles.

If there's an incident where you had an ambulance which couldn't get through it could make all the difference between life and death.

The £30,000 project to bar cars from the street has been plagued by mystery hitches and logistical problems since work started in January 2000.

But engineers say as soon as the ambulances are fitted with the transponders the scheme will "go live".

It will be a relief when it's all finished," said Mr Comerford, who has been overseeing the development.

It's ground-breaking technology. The difficulty we've had is that it's such an awful location to do it.

It's been the most difficult installation for the manufacturer.

The signals bounce off old pipes and we've found old tram lines down Foregate Street which interfere with the signals.

There were also problems with the transponders' frequency and the difficulty in bollards reading the signals from buses turning right into Angel Street from The Cross.

The city council said it hoped to finally get under way in around six weeks' time.

I hope the scheme will work because we need it in other places, said Mr Comerford.

The bollards would be operational Mondays to Saturdays from 10.30am until 4.30pm.

The transponders, fitted on buses and all emergency vehicles, also have priority at some traffic lights and it is hoped a similar scheme will be introduced in Lowesmoor.