Plans to install traffic lights at a notorious junction have been thrown into doubt - just months after highways bosses promised to fit them.

Highways England announced in December that it would pay for signals at the Barrey Road junction in Sevington, which links the A2070 Bad Munstereifel Road with the Ashford Retail Park.

But bosses have now been accused of going back on their word after launching a road safety audit which could find the traffic lights are unsuitable.

Former Ashford Borough Council leader Paul Bartlett, a KCC member for Ashford Central, says he is surprised the signals are now in doubt.

"Highways England will not be allowed to get away with it," he said.

"It was a terrific victory in December when the traffic lights were confirmed, but now we feel a bit cross about it all.

"They are doing a road safety audit to ensure the traffic lights won't cause too much congestion, but they should have done that before they told us they were putting the lights in."

The lights, which would only allow traffic exiting Barrey Road to turn left onto the A2070 towards junction 10, were due to be fitted this year.

Contractors were set to install them while building the long-awaited junction 10a on the M20.

Cllr Bartlett - who attended a joint transportation board meeting last week where the traffic lights were discussed - says he feels sorry for business owners on the Ashford Retail Park.

Campaigners have long called for safety measures at the junction, which has been described as a death trap and regularly becomes congested.

It is now thought there are concerns the traffic lights could cause congestion on the dual carriageway, delaying drivers on the A2070.

Cllr Bartlett - who said Highways England would pay £250,000 for the lights - said: "The businesses need certainty over what is happening and it is unfair they are being left in limbo.

"It is a bad show and I am really surprised this is happening at this late stage - it needs to be sorted out as soon as possible.

"In August 2016, the lights were taken out on cost saving grounds, but we were really pleased when we were told they were going to be installed.

"I thought everything would be hunky-dory and straight forward, but now it is not clear."

Before promising the lights in December, Highways England had previously ruled out the signals due to safety fears and instead introduced a temporary speed limit of 40mph between the Orbital Park and junction 10 roundabout.

However, traffic surveys showed the lower limit only reduced the mean average speed on the dual carriageway by 3mph and was removed after being described as “counter-productive”.

Highways England spokesman Howard Rhoades says the traffic lights option is still a possibility.

VIDEO: Plans for traffic lights at Barrey Road in doubt

"We will be carrying out a road safety audit on the current design of the junction itself," he said.

"This audit may recommend another solution other than traffic lights and we will be in a position to inform the next transportation board meeting in June what the final design will look like.

"Changes to the current design could include changes to the highway alignment either to widen the entry or exit arrangements or reducing speed limits, but any changes to the design would be on safety grounds only.

"The audit might in fact determine that lights would be the recommended solution after all."

Ashbury Furniture owner Nick Hanson, who has worked on the estate for 13 years, says uncertainty over the future of the junction is not good for business.

He says he cannot understand why a new roundabout due to be built on the A2070 Bad Munstereifel Road to serve junction 10a could not be moved to the Barrey Road junction.

Mr Hanson said: "I have exhausted all of my energies trying to get something sorted with it.

"It has almost come to a point where we will just have to put up with what we are given.

"There seems to be no interest in resolving it - we do not want a sticky plaster solution, we want something for the next 20 years."