A COUNTY MP is calling on the Highways Agency to turn off traffic lights on a Worcestershire road before someone is killed.

Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff has written to Peter Nutt, acting chief executive of the agency, urging him to switch off the lights at the junction of the A449 with the A450 between Kidderminster and Hartlebury.

He says they need to be turned off before there is a serious accident.

"You may be aware of the considerable local controversy over the installation of traffic lights at this junction, known locally as Black Bridge junction," he said in his letter.

"Yesterday was the first full day of operation of these lights after an earlier period of operation, which proved disastrous.

"I went for myself to see the chaos they were causing - a traffic jam all the way back to Kidderminster in the peak hour."

Mr Luff says he has two fears about the lights. First, that approaching traffic which has been travelling fast will not expect to find stationary cars.

"It will only be a matter of time until there is a serious accident with a car or lorry running into the rear of one of the queues," he said.

He is also concerned because the A449 is the main route from Kidderminster to Worcester.

"With the downgrading of Kidderminster Hospital, more and more emergency ambulances will be using this road to carry gravely ill people to the A&E facilities at Worcester," said the MP.

"These kind of traffic queues would cause unacceptable and potentially life-threatening delay."

Stuart Brook, of the Highways Agency, said the traffic lights were installed in order to address the safety issue of the right-hand turn at the junction.

"Following the problems that were experienced when we first switched on the signals, we have added further equipment to make the signals more responsive to the varying traffic demands on the approaches," he said.

"Our agents on site have intervened to clear the traffic backlog and have made amendments to morning peak time settings to give more time to the southbound route.

"They were due to be on site again today and next week to monitor the situation."