Changes to a set of traffic lights in Skipton sparked a long weekend of frustrating jams.

Long tailbacks from Craven's first ever traffic lights installed earlier this year at the junction of Keighley Road with Carleton Road, caused tailbacks which at times stretched back to the High Street and on to the Bailey.

Among those to complain were the taxi firms. A spokesman for Dalesman Central Taxis said: "The traffic priorities are astonishing. It's adding to fares and making it impossible to keep to times."

Bill Isherwood, area traffic manager, said the new lights had been working reasonably well but had attracted a small number of complaints from drivers about congestion at the right turn into Carleton Road.

The council tried a different system last week whereby all three "arms" were running separately. But this meant traffic heading out of town was kept waiting for no reason as, traffic heading into town could not turn right across its flow.

Mr Isherwood said the change to the lights had caused "pretty unacceptable delays" for people coming into town as well as some hold-up for drivers heading away from the centre.

"The lights are back to how they were," he said.

The council was now looking at new line marking to try to encourage right-turners into Carleton Road to move over just a bit to allow northbound traffic to move past.