FRUSTRATED drivers faced motoring misery for the second day in a row today.

Huge queues built up on the northbound M271 early today as traffic tried to head out of the city.

Motorists have put the blame on traffic lights installed at the junction of the M27 and M271.

Vehicles trying to exit the M27 at junction three were caught in huge tailbacks when the new signals were introduced last month.

Difficulties with the phasing of the lights were blamed for the frustrating delays.

Now, for two days in a row, tailbacks have stretched for more than a mile along the M271 on the approach to its junction with the M27.

Queues have stretched back past junction one of the M271 for Nursling from as early as 6am yesterday and today.

Tailbacks on Thursday were blamed on a failure of the old traffic lights that have been in place at the end of the M271 for years.

Highways Agency bosses introduced new traffic lights with the aim of reducing congestion.

Instead, they have led to lengthy queues, especially for westbound M27 traffic trying to leave at junction three.

A spokesman for the Highways Agency said: "We are aware of the problems over the lights this morning and we have engineers on site investigating at the moment.

"There were problems with the phasing of the lights yesterday but we will not know whether it is the same problem until our engineers have had a look.

"There will be no U-turn on the decision to install traffic lights at the junction coming off of the M27 on to the M271."