AN investigation into traffic lights is taking place across Worcestershire - to see if any can be altered to ease congestion.

Your Worcester News can reveal how Worcestershire County Council is looking at lights to determine if any can be kept off red for longer to create less hold-ups.

The move includes possible changes to Worcester's busy set of lights off Sebright Avenue after concern it is impacting upon London Road.

The review is part of a major package of measures aimed at improving driver's opinions of the roads after years of low satisfaction rates, including:

- A review of white lines across the county to see if any need re-painting to make the demarcation clearer

- Changes to road signs, with some being cleaned and others possibly being replaced

- A raft of 'village makeovers' where contractors go around tidying them up including work like cutting hedges, painting bus shelters, replacing safety barriers, widening footpaths and sweeping roads

- Nine new striking red 'Worcestershire welcomes you' signs, placed at strategic locations on the edges of the county, to welcome motorists in

The package comes after a householders' survey last year which showed how roads satisfaction had plunged from 42 per cent to just 31 per cent.

In recent months a working group of councillors have been tasked with putting together a response.

Council chiefs say their own stock condition check of roads reveals there are less defects such as potholes and cracks than in previous years, leading to concern issues like congestion is driving the downturn in opinion.

The programme on renewing white lines will last three years, while on the village makeovers, the plan is draw up a proposal to visit 20 different areas as soon as they can following similar projects in Martley, Malvern, Cookley and Belbroughton in recent weeks and months.

Jon Fraser, head of highways, speaking during a meeting of the economy and environment scrutiny panel at County Hall, said: "If the white lines are bright and straight and signs are clean that has a big impact on people's perception."

Councillor Pat Agar said the traffic lights in "Lowesmoor, Newtown Road and London Road all need to be looked at".

Nick Twaite, highways asset manager at the council, responded by saying the sequencing of the lights is "a specific piece of work" which will include the Wyld's Lane junction in particular.

The nine new boundary plates will be funded by Worcestershire's Local Enterprise Partnership, with locations currently being firmed up with a view to getting them in place by the autumn.

Last year's survey led to responses from more than 2,200 people.