Traders and commuters were met with congestion chaos at the start of the working week after a fresh set of unexpected roadworks began on a major city route.

A set of three-way traffic lights were set up on Botley Road near St Frideswides Church due to water main works.

There were large tailbacks as a result of the lights on Monday morning with drivers queuing as far back as the A34 roundabout during rush hour. 

Thames Water signs could be seen along the route with parts of the road dug up with barriers around it.

READ MORE: Why Botley Road will NOT be closing for a year from today

The works have been described as an emergency by the county council and the lights are expected to be in place until February 17.

Dan Towler, who works at Woodlands Pharmacy in Botley Road, said: "We were definitely disrupted getting to work, getting deliveries to us and I think our customers definitely have been as well.

“Our deliveries have been delayed or not come at all.

“We have had a few customers who have called and their prescriptions have been sent elsewhere because they did not want to sit in a queue for an hour.”

One motorist Marisa Grant said she would be "avoiding the road for good now".

Oxford Mail: Traffic along Botley Road on Monday morningTraffic along Botley Road on Monday morning (Image: Tim Hughes, Newsquest)

Another motorist Richard Day added: "It took me another 40 minutes to get into town from Cumnor Hill."

And Will Bayliss, who was also caught up in the traffic, commented: "Fair enough it can’t be avoided but why not have someone manually controlling the lights during peak times?

"The road was queuing all the way to the A34 inbound and then nothing waiting to go out of Oxford."

Other motorists questioned why there appeared to be no workers while the three-way lights were in operation.

Thames Water has not responded when contacted for comment.

READ MORE: Thames Water confirms 'regrettable' six sewage releases over Christmas

It comes as the county council and Network Rail has planned to close Botley Road at the railway bridge so that major improvements to the station can take place.

Talks have been taking place between the rail authority, the county council and the Department for Transport to agree a new plan to close Botley Road at the rail bridge.

The former youth hostel in Botley Road is set to be demolished 'within a month' according to contractors while Station Grill has also been demolished recently.

A spokesman for Network Rail highlighted the water works will have no impact on the wider project taking place in Botley Road.

And Stagecoach said the works only caused very minor delays. 

Botley Road is the main road into the centre of Oxford from the west stretching between Botley, on the Oxford Ring Road to the west of the city, and Frideswide Square at the junction with Oxford railway station.