LONG suffering residents of Pool-in-Wharfedale are being advised to take a long holiday to avoid nine months of traffic chaos.

Work costing £360,000 to stengthen the Grade Two listed Pool Bridge is due to start next month but it will now take 15 weeks longer than the original 20 weeks estimated.

Tenders have now been re-issued by Leeds City Council after contractors said the original time-scale was not realistic.

The council says the longer timescale will not actually make any difference to potential traffic problems, since the majority of weeks will be taken up on the building of a temporary Bailey bridge next to the A658 to take cars while the work is being done.

But Councillor Clive Fox (Con, Otley and Wharfedale) says the village is in danger of descending into traffic hell.

As well as Pool Bridge, traffic calming measures, including a mini-roundabout and pedestrian crossings, are due to start and at some time in the future, the strengthening of Harewood Bridge.

"If anyone in Pool is minded to take a 12 month sabbatical and spend some time abroad, now is the time because I fear the centre of Pool is in danger of descending into traffic chaos.

"It will be virtually impossible for local people to go about their daily business within the village," Coun Fox said.

He blames the European directive which requires major roads to be strengthened to take 44 tonne heavy vehicles.

He said: "I don't blame the council because the situation has been forced upon them by Brussels, but it is far from a satisfactory state of affairs. We are all facing this prolonged disruption for no good reason."

Coun Fox feared that as soon the work on Pool Bridge was finished, similar work would start on Harewood Bridge.

"Under the present proposals diverted traffic will officially be directed through Pool so there will be no relief for Pool one way and another throughout most of next year."

A spokeswoman for Leeds City Council said: "When we first out to tender for the scheme, it became evident that the various contractors who submitted bids were concerned that they would be unable to complete the work within the 20 work period. As a result, they have been invited to submit revised tenders based on a longer 35-week period.

"This will not create any greater disruption to the construction of the adjacent temporary bridge which is designed to ensure that traffic can flow restricted along the A658 throughout the project. The existing route will not be closed until the temporary bridge is ready for use.

"There will however, be a maximum speed limit of 25mph on the temporary bridge for safety reasons."