MOTORISTS claim they are being caught in "infuriating" rush hour tailbacks after new lanes were painted at a commuter delay blackspot.

Engineers have been criticised for altering the layout at Whitebirk Roundabout, off junction six of the M65 at Blackburn.

The roundabout is one of East Lancashire's busiest, with Traffic travelling to Blackburn, Hyndburn and the nearby retail and business parks.

Traffic typically backs up in both the morning and evening rush hours, but drivers are reporting that the new road markings have made the delays much longer than normal.

The roundabout, which is just out of Blackburn and in the Lancashire County Council boundary, previously had no road markings, until the completion of a two-week project by the council's highways department last Friday.

But now traffic leaving the westbound carriageway of the M65 is squeezed into two lanes, rather than three, causing tailbacks of up to 45 minutes.

And cars heading out of Blackburn have one lane, instead of two to get on to the M65.

In addition, large sections of the roundabout have been cordoned off with sections of diagonal white lines, restricting the amount of space available to cars.

A motorist, who declined to be named, said: "They've made it worse. The roundabout had no markings before and sometimes could be a bit of a free-for-all, but everyone was used to it and I never heard of any crashes there.

"It's infuriating that you are sat waiting all that time when there was nothing wrong with it in the first place. It needs sorting out. It's a mess."

Another driver added: "This will cause more crashes as people get frustrated and impatient then take more risks."

Shadsworth with Whitebirk ward councillor Tony Humphrys said he was worried an accident would occur unless the problem was fixed.

He said: "The road markings need to be clearer. Last week I was pushed into the inside lane and had to get off at a junction I hadn't wanted to.

"What annoys me is people won't give way where they are supposed to."

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council, responsible for the road, said: "Re-marking work on Whitebirk roundabout began last Wednesday to reduce speeding and accidents.

"The county council is aware changes have caused an increase in congestion. Signs displaying lane information will go up shortly to help motorists use the correct lanes and to improve congestion."