Traffic chaos has forced a halt to a set of Fife roadworks.
Fife Council was slammed by frustrated motorists last week after work on both main routes between Levenmouth and Kirkcaldy led to huge tailbacks and delays.
Drivers following diversions to avoid resurfacing in Coaltown of Wemyss found themselves caught in an even worse jam on the A915 Standing Stane road where Scottish Water had begun digging up the surface.
Leven councillor Tom Adams said a routine 15-minute journey between Windygates and Kirkcaldy took him more than an hour and a half.
Other motorists complained they missed hospital and doctors’ appointments or had pay docked after being late for work due to the jams.
Eventually, many people opted to double the length of their journey by driving via Glenrothes a route that still worked out much quicker than waiting in the queues of traffic.
Mr Adams said: “It was absolutely ridiculous. The roadworks in Coaltown were well advertised and the council put up signs showing an alternative route to avoid them. But when people followed the signs they ended up in even worse traffic because there was no warning of the works taking place on the only other route out of the area.
“It ended up with traffic backed up all the way from the Checkbar junction to the Windygates roundabout and there were a lot of very angry people.”
Fife Council stopped the Standing Stane roadworks as soon as it became aware of the problems.
Service manager Angus Carmichael said: “We have been carrying out road resurfacing works on Main Street, Coaltown of Wemyss.
“To assist the public we suggested an alternative route along the Standing Stane road.
“Unfortunately, Scottish Water were granted an early start for their work on the Standing Stane road at the same time due to the alternative route for the resurfacing works not being officially recorded on the register.
“As soon as the problem was discovered we asked Scottish Water to backfill their works and return after the surfacing works in Coaltown of Wemyss is complete.”