Protesters opposed to traffic lights at Newtown Crossroads began a traffic count on Friday.

All four junctions were monitored and a tailback of around 20 vehicles was recorded at one point on the Leominster road.

The data will now be collated and the No Lights at Newtown Group will study the figures.

Using the principle that traffic lights will allow 15 seconds per clearance and impose 60 seconds of waiting time per stop, the group will attempt to predict how large the tailbacks could be, should Herefordshire Council install lights.

Last Friday, the protesters timed how long it takes for a tractor to clear the junction. The 10 seconds required raising concerns that agriculture traffic at the lights would add to the tailback problems.

Meanwhile, protest group leader of Stephen Morgan, of Newtown Garage, is using his security cameras to record traffic at the crossroads. Herefordshire Council is awaiting the views of Yarkhill Parish Council before deciding what work should be done out at the junction.

Rob Manning, Herefordshire councillor for the Frome Ward, is in favour of the lights, pointing to the success of the Trumpet crossroads.

In the four years since lights were installed, there have been no serious injury accident at Trumpet, compared with nine and one fatality at the Newtown junction.