Commuters have taken to Twitter to vent their frustrations over gridlocked traffic caused by the Southall Broadway roadworks.

However Ealing Council maintain that hold ups in the area are in fact down to signalling issues in the neighbouring borough of Hounslow which has apparently led to heavy traffic on Western Road.

Work in the first month of construction to improve the safety and attractiveness of Southall Broadway has, according to the council, progressed well and the road is set to reopen to two-way traffic by Christmas.

Traders have already spoken out over the roadworks expressing worry that their businesses will not survive the next few months.

However many commuters and shoppers are taking to twitter to express their anger at the traffic situation in the area.

Labour MP for Ealing Southall, Virendra Sharma, has spoken out about his support for the traffic improvements in his constituency as he believes they will deliver long term gains.

Councillor Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council, said: “We are working together with the surrounding boroughs to alleviate the pressures in Southall as well as delivering long-term improvements to the area. We want to thank people for their patience while we continue to transform The Broadway into a safe environment for pedestrians and a high quality shopping area with more space.”

A council spokeswoman said: "Despite the good progress, there have been recent problems in the The delays were caused by signal issues linked to the recently opened Costco retail development on Hayes Road.

"Ealing Council raised these issues with Transport for London (TfL) and Hounslow Council and asked TfL to modify the lights or take them out of service. As a result, TfL will undertake a number of signalling changes in Hounslow later this week which should further improve traffic flows in Southall and shorten delays through Ealing. The changes include installing an adaptive traffic light system which is hoped to improve congestion by an average of 20% by using on-street detectors to automatically respond to fluctuations in traffic flows.

"Drivers are urged to avoid Western Road and to travel to Heathrow via Greenford and Hayes By-Pass. On Friday, 29 August council officers from Ealing and Hounslow and TfL representatives will meet on site to come up with further ways to continue to improve traffic congestion in the area."