Southampton residents have reacted to a city council decision to turn a major route into the city into a one-way system while roadworks are carried out.

The works to the city centre ring road around East Park and Watts Park will see state-of-the-art traffic lights installed which Southampton City Council says will speed up traffic in the long term.

Works will begin on February 5 and are set to last until the summer - from the junction of Brunswick Place and London Road to the junction of Havelock Road and West Park Road by the BBC Studios.

READ MORE: Southampton city centre ring road will be made one way

The Echo went out to see what residents think of the plans, and the roadworks.

Those people that spoke to us were frustrated by the impact the works would have on traffic.

Suzanne Williams runs a coffee stand in East Park and was unhappy to hear of the upcoming changes.

The 35-year-old relies on the ring road for trade, adding: “I think it's ridiculous; this road is busy enough.

"Whoever comes up with these ideas clearly doesn't have a clue what they are doing.”

Suzanne Steele, 58, from Bitterne Manor, said: "Southampton is one of the worst cities in the UK for traffic so why is the council making it even worse?"

A city council worker we spoke to, who asked not to be named, also shared his disappointment, describing it as a "waste of money" that "could be spent on more important things" like helping the homeless.

He added: “This city can't cope with the traffic anyway; it doesn't make any sense to make it any worse."

Jillian Living was also not convinced that the short term pain would be worth the long term gain.

The 73-year-old said: "It doesn’t seem worth it and in the short term it is just going to cause more traffic hold ups."

One Bitterne resident, who did not give their name, said: "It can't be worth it for the general public.

"Maybe they are trying to get people to stop driving so often."