TRAFFIC misery for thousands of motorists on the busiest road out of Taunton will continue into 2020.

It comes as customers getting stuck for lengthy periods as they try to get out of a shopping centre car park are turning away from businesses - one store is reportedly losing around £1million a month.

The gridlock is caused by roadworks on the A358 between the Hankridge Farm and J25 roundabouts.

Matthew Taylor visited Sainsbury’s on Sunday on the way to his daughter’s birthday, but missed was unable to get onto the main road for 90 minutes.

He said: “I visited the store at 1pm. I returned to the car park at 1.20pm and did not leave until 2.50pm, a truly ludicrous length of time to exit any car park. Had I known the delays involved in the car park I’d have shopped elsewhere.”

A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: “We’re committed to minimising disruption for our customers and are in close contact with the council. We’re very sorry for the inconvenience this is causing.”

A member of staff claimed the roadworks are costing the company £30,000 a day - almost £1million a month.

A Somerset County Council spokesman said the roadworks are part of J25 improvements to improve traffic flow and ease peak hour congestion.

He said: “The current set-up with two lanes into Taunton and one lane out of town has been in place since July and is due to remain until next year.

“A lane closure is required to keep road users safe while our contractor breaks up the concrete carriageway and widens the Toneway. At the weekend, the lanes were moved to allow works on the next section of the road.

“This impacts on journey times at times. Our contractor is working with traffic management and traders to understand the issues and consider if any measures can be taken to improve the situation.”