THE North-East is to get its own small army of trouble-shooting civilian traffic officers, thanks to new Government powers.

The uniformed officers, employed by the Highways Agency, will patrol major roads such as the A1(M) and A66 with their key aim to keep traffic moving and avoid congestion.

As a result of the Traffic Management Act, which became law yesterday, up to 1,200 traffic officers across the country will be granted new powers to clear up around road accidents, lightening the load of police.

They will also be able to help and assist motorists to deal with any incident which occurs on the motorway network.

Highways Agency traffic officers are already working with police in the West Midlands, but many more such posts are to be created, with extra powers, to be introduced between now and the end of the year.

The Traffic Management Act also places a duty on every local authority to keep traffic moving on their roads and aims to reduce disruption caused by "badly managed" streetworks by utility companies and other bodies.

Councils will be given specific powers to prevent the same roads being dug up again and again, and further powers to tell utilities to change the dates that they plan to do work.

Roads Minister David Jamieson said: "These new powers signal a new focus on how we manage our roads, and I expect the public to see improvements both on local roads and motorways as they are introduced."