CHANGE is coming to Wellington as plans to de-clog the town centre of traffic jams are announced.

Somerset County Council has announced that it plans to install right-turn lanes along Wellington High Street to allow for two-way traffic flow and to keep vehicles moving for longer.

But the work, which will initially be a trial, is not set to take place until April next year due to gas mains works that need to be conducted along the road which means the surface has to be dug up.

A spokesman for Somerset County Council said: “We are always keen to listen to local concerns about highway issues and are pleased to be making minor improvements at this junction.

“Although we are constrained by the geographical limitations of this location, we have designed a scheme which should improve traffic flows by adding short right turn lanes and changing the phasing of the traffic lights.”

One town and county councillor says he has been campaigning for change in this area alongside Conservative colleagues for years and believes it will benefit both motorists and pedestrians.

County Cllr John Thorne said: “These improvements are long overdue, because I personally showed the county council back in 2009 how they could put in right-hand turning lanes at the Waitrose traffic lights.

“We should not have had to suffer eight years of traffic jam misery, but at least it is now finally going to happen.

“Everybody who uses the town centre should feel the benefit of this project, because it is not just motorists stuck in traffic who are affected.

“People walking have difficulty crossing the road when vehicles become stranded on the pedestrian crossings at the town centre crossroads, and we all have to breathe in noxious exhaust fumes.”