Unauthorised repair work to a roof at a major bottleneck caused traffic delays in Flatts yesterday.

Police were called in to the village to help direct morning rush-hour traffic after complaints from road users that temporary traffic lights had caused delays of up to 45 minutes.

Leyton Rahman, the principal highways engineer at the Ministry of Public Works, said it appeared that the contractor, who was carrying out repair work on the hurricane-damaged roof of a roadside building, had not got the required permission from officials.

Mr Rahman added: “We became aware of some delays as a result of calls I received from colleagues and police.

“I was advised that the police had been informed that the highways team had given permission for these works. That is not correct.

“It appears that the contractor had contacted my colleagues and was advised to discuss and seek permission from us to carry out the works in a safe manner. However, that never happened.”

Mr Rahman was on site yesterday to discuss the removal of scaffolding and debris with the homeowner and the contractor.

Mr Rahman added: “We will look into this and will take action expeditiously to minimise disruption to the public.

“If there is request for road closure needed, that will be done, but there are ways to do this in a safe manner.”

Mr Rahman added: “The overriding issue for me has to be safety now. Dangers would include falling debris.”

He said he had told the homeowner to remove the obstructions by 4pm yesterday so that the evening rush hour would not be disrupted.

Permission for construction work must be given by the ministry and advisories on potential delays are issued if required.

Mr Rahman said: “We consider that this type of non-emergency of work should only be carried out on a weekend when traffic is quieter.”