As we see more homes being built and more cars on our roads, waiting in traffic is an increasingly common occurrence.

But new figures have shown Braintree as one of the worst places in the country for congestion.

The town ranked fifth in the country for the longest amount of time spent in traffic, beaten only by London, Manchester, Birmingham and Lincoln.

The statistics came from traffic analytics suppliers Inrix who found drivers in Braintree spent 33 hours on average stuck in traffic.

Braintree residents spent 21 per cent of their time in congestion during peak hours, classed as between 6am and 9am and from 4pm to 7pm on weekdays.

But traffic was considerably better at noon, where just 8 per cent of time was spent in congestion.

This is unlikely to be a surprise to residents and people who travel through the district.

The data came as it was revealed roadworks were carried out or planned for the A120 for the equivalent of 33 full weeks last year.

A Freedom of Information request showed the overnight works, which normally run between the hours of 8pm and 6pm, were used on more than 60 per cent of the total days in 2017.

The reality is our road networks in and around Braintree and Witham simply can’t cope with the volume of traffic we now face... and it’s only going to get worse with more housing on the way

With work underway to look at dualling the A120 and a new junction for the A12, residents will be eager to know if any of these works will improve things for commuters.

The problems with traffic need to be taken into account as these plans are developed.