YET more complaints about traffic chaos in Blackburn - and no prizes for guessing that they centre on the town's orbital route.

The system aimed at reducing congestion, which has still to be completed three years after the first sections were opened, has been blamed for making things worse at almost every turn. Now fed-up bosses at Asda are printing the work phone number of a council official on till receipts so customers can make their own personal complaint about the problems at Grimshaw Park.

They said predictions of traffic chaos when the new B&Q Warehouse opened two weeks ago were ignored by Blackburn with Darwen Council, and now their staff are being abused as customers get caught up in queues.

The orbital route, if you remember prompted massive tailbacks on day one. But the council is struggling to make the most of an inadequate road system hemmed in by town centre development.

Coun Andy Kay says any new shopping development creates congestion in the weeks after it opens. And to some extent, the problems are caused by the existing traffic problems which the orbital route is designed to alleviate.

We must reserve final judgment until all the work on the system is complete. But, after all the problems so far, Mr Kay, it had better be worth the wait.