A downed utility pole on one of the West End's main roads caused traffic chaos yesterdaymorning with some peope stuck in traffic for more than two hours.

The pole, on Harbour Road between the junctions of Valley Road and Chapel Road, fell at about 1.20 a.m. yesterday.

Belco crews responded immediately and worked through the night to remove the damaged pole and erect a new one in its place.

They were still working when commuters started heading into Hamilton for work and to drop children off at schools. This meant that all West End traffic was diverted to Middle Road, which caused a serious gridlock.

Belco spokeswoman Linda Smith said radio announcements were made from 6 a.m. onwards that Harbour Road would be closed.

West End motorist Ivan Smith was stuck in the traffic jams for two-and-a-half hours. Mr. Smith lives in Southampton and it usually takes him 30 minutes to get to his office in Hamilton.

"I couldn't believe how long it took," he said. "It was really irritating but I got used to sitting in my van."

The traffic jams were so bad that at least one Supreme Court trial was delayed as jurors trickled in late. The proceedings started an hour later than usual, at 10.30 a.m.

Ms Smith said: "We would like to thank our crew who responded right away and worked through the night. We would also thank the public for their patience this morning.

"One thing that was very apparent was the difference in traffic when schools are in. This summer, as I am sure many are aware, we did trenching work on Middle Road.

"During the summer traffic was not as backed up as it was this morning when people were going to work and dropping children at schools."

She added that 400 homes were without electricity due to the downed power line pole and most were back on by 3.49 a.m.

Ms Smith also said that the company did not know why the pole fell and was investigating the cause.