DRIVERS were left facing traffic chaos on the main route between Greenock and Port Glasgow today as unexpected Scottish Water roadworks caused heavy tailbacks.

Cones and temporary traffic lights were set up on the busy road as works got underway on the A8 at Port Glasgow Road near its junction with Pottery Street.

Information from the Scottish Road Works Commissioner indicates that the work relates to a manhole cover and is expected to last until Wednesday morning.

Amey, which manages Scotland's trunk road network, said there was a 'degree of congestion' in the area as a result of the works.

Karen Munro was travelling from Greenock to get to the Port Glasgow's Gallagher Shopping Park during the afternoon - a trip which would usually take her around 10 minutes.

Instead, she faced a wait of almost an hour before she arrived at her destination and was forced to take a 13-mile diversion through Kilmacolm to avoid the roadworks on the way back to her home in Gourock.

She told the Telegraph: “It took me 40 minutes to get to Port Glasgow and when I got to the roadworks there was nobody there doing anything.

“There was a hole in the road but no workers in sight.

“How are ambulances supposed to get past it if they have to try to get out of town?

“I’m disgusted. This has happened time and time again.

“The road opens and before you know it it’s closed again.

“And you never know whether it’s closed or whether it’s open.”

One concerned Inverkip resident said: "It took my daughter two and a half hours to get from Glasgow to Inverkip. She was stuck for 50 minutes and hardly moved.

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"It is outrageous. I know it is an emergency but this happens all the time and it should be better organised."

The same stretch of road was recently subject to restrictions for more than a year as Scottish Water carried out a £2.5million project to tackle flooding on the A8.

The project started in January last year, with work taking place on both sides of the carriageway before being completed in February this year.

During this period, a series of contraflows were used to maintain access for traffic.

A Scottish Water spokesperson said: “Repairs to a defective manhole cover have been successfully completed in Pottery Street, Greenock.

"In order for the works to be carried out safely, temporary road traffic management was put in place.

"To allow the tar to set, road traffic management will remain in place until around 7am Wednesday morning.

"We thank all road users and residents for their patience and understanding while we completed these essential works.”