A SET of traffic lights have been branded an “absolute joke” this week amid claims they take too long to change colour.

The lights near the Neidpath corner on the A72, west of Peebles, have been the subject of complaints to Scottish Borders Council (SBC) since 2016.

And this week, local resident Michael Adams told our sister newspaper the Peeblesshire News that he fears the lights are an accident waiting to happen.

“They must be the most inefficient traffic lights that have ever been put on a road,” said Mr Adams, describing the feature as an “absolute joke”.

Mr Adams, a bakery workshop leader at Garvald West Linton, said the timer on the lights has been adjusted to let cyclists through.

But he believes an accident will soon be caused, with "up to 20" frustrated drivers attempting to pass cyclists on the narrow road on some occasions.

“The traffic lights at Neidpath have caused frustration ever since they were installed,” he said, adding: “They are unfit for purpose and when it rains they are laughable.”

Mr Adams said he has emailed officers at the council, asking them to carry out a study.

“I know it’s not a major problem, especially in these challenging times, but you would think that if they can put five people standing in front of a refuse centre, they could get a couple of guys to do a survey to see how useless the lights are,” Mr Adams said.

He added: “If the sensors worked correctly then it doesn’t matter if you’re on a bike or articulated lorry.

“I waited for ages as the cars had gone through, then as I moved away the lights changed, but when I got around the corner there were no vehicles at the other side.

“Whoever installed them should be made to come back and fix them. It’s our money that paid for them.”

Motorist David Wilson echoed the frustration expressed by Mr Adams.

Mr Wilson said: “I travel to my work on this road. There can be four cars waiting, three cars go through, and the lights go back to red.

“Or you can wait up to six minutes for the lights to go green at 5am most mornings.”

An SBC spokesperson said: “The set of signals are checked by our maintenance contractor on a regular basis due to the complex nature of them, however it is challenging to achieve a timing balance which suits both vehicle drivers and cyclists.

“We have instructed our maintenance contractor to attend on site to check that everything is working as it should be.”