THERE were groans of frustration yesterday as cars, vans and lorries picked their way through a Dales market town as roadworks returned to a crucial junction.

Transco spent four weeks replacing gas mains at the foot of Gallowgate, in Richmond, in August.

Although most accepted the work needed to be done, the disruption was still hard to bear.

Traders said that delays of up to half an hour were putting people off a trip to the town centre.

In August, the holes were filled and fresh tarmac laid by the end of the month and there was a sigh of relief as the cones and barriers were cleared.

But on Tuesday, workmen were back at exactly the same spot, digging up the road.

Worse was to come when temporary traffic lights were erected yesterday.

Queues stretched back in either direction while quiet, residential roads became rat-runs as local traffic returned to unorthodox routes, learned in the summer.

"A small gas leak was reported on Tuesday and contractors are on site dealing with that," said a Transco spokeswoman yesterday.

She added: "The work should be completed later today, the road restored and the lights removed."

However, people in the area say their patience is wearing thin after a summer of disruption.

"We know the mains have to be replaced but we cannot understand why they have to keep coming back to the same spot," said one.

"The fumes from stationery traffic get pretty bad and then there is the continuous noise of the generator."

Richmond town centre manager Colin Grant said he sympathised with the frustrations of drivers and nearby residents.

"The traffic lights went up at the suggestion of the county council. The contractors had been hoping to get the job done without them but the road was too narro," he said..

"Public safety has to come first," he said. "If the mains are leaking, leaving them alone is not really an option.