IT HAS caused a year of misery for motorists and now commuters and residents face four more months of traffic chaos after major work to a Basingstoke roundabout has been delayed until next year.

The £10 million improvements to Black Dam Roundabout were initially due to finish before the summer, having started in October, 2014.

Highways England announced in May the project was behind schedule and would not be finished until October this year. But the company responsible for the scheme has now admitted work is set to continue into the spring of next year.

The delay is caused by “significant and complex issues with utility services”.

Basingstoke MP Maria Miller said the delay is “completely unacceptable” and has called for an “urgent review”.

She added: “This delay is causing chaos for residents and local business. It is worrying that traffic delays will now continue over the important Christmas period. I have asked Highways England to urgently meet local businesses to explain the situation and identify practical ways to support. For local retailers in particular the peak Christmas period is critical to their business success.”

A spokesman for Highways England said: “Our work to improve the Black Dam Roundabout will be completed early next spring. We appreciate that this is significantly later than planned and we are sorry for the inconvenience it will cause.

“Progress on the improvements has been held up by significant and complex issues with utility services that run beneath the roundabout.

“We have worked hard with the utility companies to resolve these issues and we’re now working with our local authorities towards fully completing the project next March.”